| HISTORY/BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | James Pritchard was born near North Wakefield, in the Gatineau County, Quebec in 1852. As a young man he moved west to Winnipeg and engaged in the fur trade. During this time he travelled to far northern outposts such as Norway and Cumberland House. Later he enlisted in the Winnipeg Light Infantry and served as a sergeant during the Riel Rebellion of 1885. Upon the conclusion of the campaign, Pritchard returned to Manitoba to become a general merchant in Swan River and La Riviere. In 1908 he disposed of his business in Manitoba and moved to Edmonton, Alberta where he remained until the early 1930s. The last four years of his life were spent with his daughter, Mrs. E.R. Hoskins, in the Hillside district, near Wetaskiwin, Alberta. Pritchard died in Westaskiwin on November 26, 1937. At his death he left behind one son, Wilfred, and two daughters, Mrs. E.R. Hoskins and Mrs. J.E. Livingstone. |