Pegahmagabow, Francis National Historic Person
Wasauksing First Nation, Ontario
Corporal Francis Pegahmagabow
(© George Metcalf Archival Collection / Canadian War Museum // Collection d'archives George-Metcalf / Musée Canadien de la Guerre)
Address :
Wasauksing First Nation, Ontario
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2019-06-05
Life Date:
1889 to 1952
Other Name(s):
-
Francis Pegahmagabow
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2018-10; 2010-45; 2005-06
Importance:
Ojibwe Nishnaabe of Wasauksing First Nation, highly decorated soldier in the First World War. He advocated for Indigenous rights from the 1920s to 1950s.
Plaque(s)
Approved Inscription:
This highly decorated Nishnaabe soldier served with honour in the First World War and advocated for Indigenous rights. Enlisting in August 1914, he fought with the 1st Canadian Battalion as a sniper and scout in many significant battles, earning a Military Medal three times for his bravery in action. After the war, he became a leader of Wasauksing First Nation and a national political organizer who fought against restrictions imposed by the Canadian government on First Nations, calling for the right to vote and recognition of treaty rights. His enduring legacy continues to inspire people in his Nishnaabe community and beyond.