Draft:Benjamin Sinclair

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Reverend Benjamin Sinclair was a Métis lay-minister and a key early Methodist missionary in central Alberta, Canada, known for his work with the Cree people alongside his close friend, the Reverend Henry Bird Steinhauer.

Born in the Norway House region of present-day Manitoba, Benjamin Sinclair was the son of Hudson's Bay Company employee William Sinclair the Elder, a fur trader. He was an associate of the Reverend Robert Rundle, the first Protestant missionary to the area, who presided at his marriage to his wife, Margaret.

Sinclair met Rundle at Norway House in 1840^[1] and was recruited to assist with the new mission at Pigeon Lake in 1847. When Rundle left due to an arm injury, Sinclair and his family were left in charge of the mission, where he served as a dedicated lay preacher for several years. He and his wife brought practical skills, such as farming and lumber sawing, to the mission, along with knowledge of the Bible and Cree syllabics.

After leaving Pigeon Lake for a time, Sinclair was asked to return to Alberta to work with the Reverend Henry Bird Steinhauer to establish a mission at Lac La Biche. The two became close friends and worked together in the region for nearly 40 years, educating and sharing their faith with local families in Alberta communities that are now known as Lac La Biche, Smoky Lake, and St. Paul.

Sinclair became an important leader and an advocate for schooling at the Whitefish Lake settlement. In 1884, he contracted influenza and died on December 28th. His friend, Henry Steinhauer, died from the same epidemic the very next day. The families agreed to bury the two men in a common grave at Goodfish Lake, where they rest side-by-side.

Benjamin Sinclair's work and that of his contemporaries were foundational to the Methodist Church's presence in the Canadian Northwest. A provincial historic site, the Benjamin and Margaret Sinclair Provincial Historic Site, commemorates their contributions at Rundle's Mission in Pigeon Lake.