Buffalo Days and Nights

Western Canadian Classics

by Peter Erasmus, Henry Thompson (Translator)

Born in 1833, Peter Erasmus was a colourful and important character in the events that marked western Canada's transformation from the open buffalo plains of Rupert's Land into townsites and farmsteads. He was a remarkable and highly educated man, fluent in six Native languages as well as English, Latin, and Greek, and respected by Native peoples, white settlers, and explorers.

Trained by the church for missionary work, Erasmus instead became one of the _mixed-blood_ guides and interpreters who helped shape the Canadian west. His long career as a celebrated buffalo hunter, mission worker, teacher, trader, and interpreter made him a legend in his own time. His involvement in such events as the Palliser expedition, the smallpox epidemic of the 1870_s, the signing of Treaty No. Six, and the last big buffalo hunt has ensured his place in history long after his death at the age of ninety-seven.

"Buffalo Days and Nights" is a lively and fascinating account of his experiences, first assembled with the help of Henry Thompson, an Edmonton reporter, in the 1920s. It is a classic in western Canadian history that offers an insider's view into the events that surrounded the start of a new era.

Genres: Indigenous, Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 1999

Reviews

[Wes Pue · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend Henry Thompson wrote this book, based on interviews he did as a young man with Peter Erasmus.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Erasmus witnessed an era of incredible change in the Canadian West. He trained as a missionary, but later became a guide and interpreter. He was highly educated in the classics of Latin and Greek and spoke six Native languages. During his lifetime, he observed the shrinking buffalo herds due to increased settlement, the Palliser Expedition and the smallpox epidemic of the 1870s. When he was 90-years-old, Erasmus related his life story to an Edmonton reporter, which became the basis of this fascinating autobiography. Buffalo Days and Nights is a rare glimpse into life in the Old West, seen through the eyes of one who lived it fully.

Peter Erasmus was a Metis traveller, guide, buffalo hunter, translator, farmer, Indian Agent, and mission worker. He was born in 1833, and died in 1931. Erasmus was instrumental as the translator at the Treaty Six negotiations, and witnessed the change from buffalo hunting, to settlements and Reserves. At the age of 87, Erasmus told his life story to Henry Thompson (also a Metis person, and a journalist at the time) who wrote it down. The manuscript found its way to the Glenbow Museum and Archives and was published as Buffalo Days and Nights in 1976.

Peter Erasmus was my great, great grandfather (on mother's side) and the co-author, Henry Thompson was my dad's great uncle. I am blessed to have this family history.

[Brendan Cane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do understand why this is considered an important book in Western Canadian history. Most recollections from this period focus on the broad history of the era, while Buffalo Days and Nights scopes into the life of just one man and the variety peope he interacted with during his time.

Is it the most exciting book in the world? No. But it offers a unique and intimate look into what life was really like in a particular time and place for average people- the 1800s on the Canadian Prairies.

This is a must-have for history buffs who like to read primary sources.

[Bud · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book and biography is a wonderful piece of history. Many of my ancestors interacted with Peter Erasmus, but they did not write their stories down. He enjoyed a full education by way of the church education system, and was much more literate than most of his contemporaries.
The tales tell what happened in the land that was to become Alberta in the 1840's to about 1890. Life was so different, would seem more complicated to us modern people, but was natural to the people of the time.
Peter Erasmus is honored with a Mountain in the Rockies named after him - but no wikipedia entry. I will look into adding an entry for him. I think I can do that with my wiki editor account.
I am proud of his literacy and talent, even if I am not directly related.
The discussions about Treaty No. 6 give me more information than I ever had before.

[Bill Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about Alberta history around 1850.