Daniel George MacMartin Collection

The Daniel George W. MacMartin Collection consists of the personal diary of its namesake, related transcriptions, and ancillary materials held at the Queen’s University Archives.

Daniel George W. MacMartin (also McMartin; 1844-1923) was a mining engineer from Perth, Ontario, though he is arguably best known for his participation in negotiations for Treaty 9, or the James Bay Treaty. In the summers of 1905 and 1906, a treaty delegation representing the Crown travelled to northern Ontario and through the James Bay watershed to discuss Treaty 9 with local First Nations whose lands it was set to encompass. MacMartin was present as a treaty commissioner for the provincial government. Two other treaty commissioners, Duncan Campbell Scott and Samuel Stewart, were federal representatives. Throughout the treaty expedition, MacMartin kept a diary. Critically, his written account suggested what had been communicated verbally to Indigenous participants in the treaty-making process differed from what was reflected in the written agreement. More recently, MacMartin’s description of the negotiation process has been used to challenge Treaty 9’s legitimacy. For many Indigenous signatories, the oral agreement described by MacMartin is the true Treaty 9.

While the diary is now considered an invaluable primary source related to Treaty 9, it was not always recognized as such. The diary was kept in the possession of the MacMartin family until it was eventually given to Wallace H. Robb (1888-1976), a poet, naturalist, and collector of cultural materials related to Indigenous Peoples. The diary joined Robb’s extensive collection, which was later donated to the Archives a decade after his death. It remained hidden in the Wallace H. Robb fonds until the mid-1990s, at which point it was uncovered by researchers who understood its significance. Owing to the diary’s importance, it became its own collection within the Archives in 2013.

The Archives database includes more information on the MacMartin Collection, which includes a transcript and digital scan of the diary. The Archives collaborated with the Mushkegowuk Council and the Archives of Ontario to create a virtual exhibit on Treaty 9, which features the diary prominently. Similarly, the Queen’s Law Library has compiled a library guide on Treaty 9.