David Laird was born on March 12, 1833, in New Glasgow, Prince Edward Island. He married Mary Louisa Owen, and they had six children. He founded, edited, and published Charlottetown Patriot. David Laird originally opposed confederation, but was sent to Ottawa to negotiate the admission of Prince Edward Island.
Treaty number 7.
On October 1877, on the banks of the river, all the Indians of southern Alberta met. David Laird and Commissioner Macleod of the Mounted police sat together in a tent. David Laird welcomed the Indians and said that he travelled long distances from the Queen to make a treaty with them. Both sides appeared friendly toward each other. David Laird told them how Queen loved all her children, white and red alike, and how she knew that the buffalo were being killed very fast and in a few years they would die out. The Queen was willing to give money. If they would sign the treaty, each man, women, and child would get twelve dollars. Chiefs would get a suit of clothes, a silver medal, and a flag, and every three years they will get a new suit. The Queen would let no white man or Métis to build or cut down the timber on the reserve. Cattle, potatoes would be given to them. .
For a few days, the chiefs and their council talked over the terms of the treaty. Throughout this time, the chiefs allowed their tribes to accept small gifts of tea, tobacco, sugar and flour. On Friday, October 20, 1877 the chiefs gathered to talk about the treaty. Button Chief accepted the treaty and was willing to join, so was Old Sun, Head Chief of the North Blackfoot tribes. The Indians chose as their reserve lands a stretch of 320 km on the Bow River. The total cost of the treaty was $52954. Within three years of signing, the buffalo disappeared from the plains, and a terrible hunger spread across the plains. David Laird died on January 21, 1914 at Ottawa, Ontario. He was buried in the Sherwood Cemetery, a few miles northeast of Charlottetown.
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