Marie-Anne Lagimodière moved west to be with her husband. She travelled on foot, by canoe (with endless portages), sled, cart and horseback. | image: detail from the biography Marie-Anne, The Extraordinary Life of Louis Riel’s Grandmother

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Marie-Anne Lagimodière, née Gaboury

by Frances Rooney | February 16, 2009

Just in time for Manitoba’s Louis Riel Day, a new biography explores his grandmother’s life and significance. Author Maggie Siggins writes, “It’s been said that in Marie-Anne’s latter years she and her favourite grandchild, Louis Riel, were very close. No wonder. They were kindred spirits.” How this historical figure has been remembered shows us a lot about how shared memory changes over time, and what the limits of history can be. What can you do to keep the past and its people alive?  read more