Born at Kildonan on 20 February 1848, of mixed-blood origin, Garrioch studied theology at St. John’s College during the Red River Rebellion of 1869-70. He negotiated with Riel for safe passage for his brother, one of the Portage la Prairie party that attempted to free prisoners in February 1870 and ended up prisoners of the Métis. He was later ordained as an Anglican priest, serving in Peace River and then in Manitoba. While in England in 1885 he published several translations into the Beaver language, as well as an English-Beaver and Cree dictionary. After retiring in 1905, he wrote a number of autobiographical works, including First Furrows (1923) and The Correction Line (1933).