Bell Farm
Encyclopedia
Bell Farm
is a heritage farm built in 1882 by Major Bell
on ten miles (16 km) square or 60000 acres (242.8 km²) at Indian Head
.
The Bell Farm Barn is amongst the ten top most endangered sites by the Heritage Canada Foundation.sp The round structure consisted of a silo which could be used also as a lookout tower. The silo had a capacity of 4,000 bushels of oats and 100 tons of hay. The surrounding area could house 36 horse and an office. Having the silo centrally located greatly reduced labour involved in livestock feeding and resulted in a stronger facility than the rectangular structures.
The first settlers moved into the district in 1882, a few months ahead of the Canadian Pacific Railway
. The farming operations were so huge and out of the ordinary that, on many occasions, the passenger trains would stop and let the passengers watch the harvesting operation becoming the area's first tourist attraction.
. In 1886 the Bell Farm owned 45 reapers, and binders, 78 ploughs, 6 mowers, 40 seeders, 80 sets of harrows and seven steam threshing outfits to plant and harvest 5000 acres (20.2 km²) of Red Fyfe wheat, oats and potatoes crop. The Bell Farm was a mixed farm enterprise, and the livestock of 1886 comprised 200 horses, 250 cattle and 900 hogs. Wooden grainaries on wheels, grain elevator and flour mill also complemented the Bell Farm.
Major Bell erected a twelve thousand dollar building for an Agricultural College to bring in Dr. Tanner, a noted professor of agriculture. The building was all that materialized from this plan.
The Bell Barn Society of Indian Head was founded in 2006 to raise public awareness, and financial support to restore the Bell Farm Round Barn. The campaign received $50,000 from James Richardson International (JRI) towards rebuilding the Bell Farm barn and establishing an interpretive centre for Western Canadian Agriculture. JRI, a Winnipeg company, recently celebrated 150 years of business in Canada. The effort has been supported by the Heritage Canada foundation, the Saskatchewan Architectural Heritage Society, United Empire Loyalies, local historians, schools and businesses.
In April 2008, the 126 year old stone farm was dismantled rock by rock. The ground has been leveled to reconstruct the building and engineers will be consulted for depth of piles needed for support. 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of land was acquired from the RM
of Indian Head
. The town of Indian Head
will own the reconstructed site, picnic, and parking facilities. A sheet metal roof with 30 square air vents for light and ventilation, surrounds an 8 sided cupola in the center which was the upper extension of the silo and look out tower. The original barn had a unique herringbone pattern wood frame on trusses extending from the center to the stone walls. Reconstruction of the barn alone is estimated at $1 million dollars. An 1883 Bell Farm cottage has been preserved at the Indian Head
museum. The provincial and federal governments won't commit to designating the barn with heritage status as it won't be re-constructed on its precise original site. The original site of the Bell Farm will be preserved with the lower one foot of the original building for archaeological findings. The roof and north wall had already collapsed due to a heavy snowfall during the winter o 2005-2006.
Hon. Dr. Lynda Haverstock
, former Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, has been made Honorary Patron. Eric Peterson
who portrays Oscar Leroy on the Canadian
television sitcom Corner Gas
is Honorary Chairman.
Bell Farm
Bell Farm is a heritage farm built in 1882 by Major Bell on ten miles square or at Indian Head. The Bell Farm Barn is amongst the ten top most endangered sites by the Heritage Canada Foundation.sp The round structure consisted of a silo which could be used also as a lookout tower. The silo had...
is a heritage farm built in 1882 by Major Bell
William Robert Bell
William Robert Bell was a militia officer, farmer, and businessman who was born in Brockville, Ontario.Bells military history is connected with the Fenian raids of 1866 and 1870 where he achieved the rank of Major....
on ten miles (16 km) square or 60000 acres (242.8 km²) at Indian Head
Indian Head, Saskatchewan
Indian Head is a town in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada, east of Regina. The town is directly north of the Trans-Canada Highway. The town is known for its federally-operated Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration experimental farm and tree nursery that produces seedlings for shelter...
.
The Bell Farm Barn is amongst the ten top most endangered sites by the Heritage Canada Foundation.sp The round structure consisted of a silo which could be used also as a lookout tower. The silo had a capacity of 4,000 bushels of oats and 100 tons of hay. The surrounding area could house 36 horse and an office. Having the silo centrally located greatly reduced labour involved in livestock feeding and resulted in a stronger facility than the rectangular structures.
The first settlers moved into the district in 1882, a few months ahead of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
. The farming operations were so huge and out of the ordinary that, on many occasions, the passenger trains would stop and let the passengers watch the harvesting operation becoming the area's first tourist attraction.
Operations
The first buildings constructed were the 16-room, two-story stone house measuring 34' x 40' with a 23' x 44' wing. Four stone and two frame five-room cottages, complemented the main dwelling along with an ice house, a cow barn, and a chicken house. The farm was divided into 200 acre (0.809372 km²) portions with a foreman supervising each section. Houses and buildings were built at each area with phone lines connecting the entirety. The phone lines between the 23 cottages on the farm was one of the first two phone lines in the North West TerritoriesTerritorial evolution of Canada
The federation of Canada was created in 1867 when three colonies of British North America were united. One of these colonies split into two new provinces, three other colonies joined later...
. In 1886 the Bell Farm owned 45 reapers, and binders, 78 ploughs, 6 mowers, 40 seeders, 80 sets of harrows and seven steam threshing outfits to plant and harvest 5000 acres (20.2 km²) of Red Fyfe wheat, oats and potatoes crop. The Bell Farm was a mixed farm enterprise, and the livestock of 1886 comprised 200 horses, 250 cattle and 900 hogs. Wooden grainaries on wheels, grain elevator and flour mill also complemented the Bell Farm.
Major Bell erected a twelve thousand dollar building for an Agricultural College to bring in Dr. Tanner, a noted professor of agriculture. The building was all that materialized from this plan.
Bell Barn Society
Dave Aldous began a campaign to save the Bell Farm when the mortar holding the stones of the Bell Farm House decayed, and the farm house collapsed. A letter from Dave Aldous reached Frank Korvemaker, a provincial heritage official. Korvemaker wrote a book on stone buildings, Legacy of Stone:Saskatchewan's Stone Buildings By Margaret Hryniuk, Frank Korvemaker, and Larry Easton, and from there went on to establish the Bell Barn Society to preserve this historic barn. Korvemaker has had experience with the Saskatchewan Heritage Foundation and was instrumental in preserving the Claybank Brick Plant National Historic Site. Margaret Hryniuk, Frank Korvemaker, and Larry Easton contacted the barn's owner, Dan Walker in 2005.The Bell Barn Society of Indian Head was founded in 2006 to raise public awareness, and financial support to restore the Bell Farm Round Barn. The campaign received $50,000 from James Richardson International (JRI) towards rebuilding the Bell Farm barn and establishing an interpretive centre for Western Canadian Agriculture. JRI, a Winnipeg company, recently celebrated 150 years of business in Canada. The effort has been supported by the Heritage Canada foundation, the Saskatchewan Architectural Heritage Society, United Empire Loyalies, local historians, schools and businesses.
In April 2008, the 126 year old stone farm was dismantled rock by rock. The ground has been leveled to reconstruct the building and engineers will be consulted for depth of piles needed for support. 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) of land was acquired from the RM
Rural municipality
A rural municipality, often abbreviated RM, is a form of municipality in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, perhaps best comparable to counties or townships in the western United States...
of Indian Head
Indian Head No. 156, Saskatchewan
The Rural Municipality of Indian Head No. 156 is a rural municipality in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Indian Head No. 156 is located in South East Saskatchewan, in SARM division 1.-Communities:...
. The town of Indian Head
Indian Head, Saskatchewan
Indian Head is a town in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada, east of Regina. The town is directly north of the Trans-Canada Highway. The town is known for its federally-operated Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration experimental farm and tree nursery that produces seedlings for shelter...
will own the reconstructed site, picnic, and parking facilities. A sheet metal roof with 30 square air vents for light and ventilation, surrounds an 8 sided cupola in the center which was the upper extension of the silo and look out tower. The original barn had a unique herringbone pattern wood frame on trusses extending from the center to the stone walls. Reconstruction of the barn alone is estimated at $1 million dollars. An 1883 Bell Farm cottage has been preserved at the Indian Head
Indian Head, Saskatchewan
Indian Head is a town in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada, east of Regina. The town is directly north of the Trans-Canada Highway. The town is known for its federally-operated Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration experimental farm and tree nursery that produces seedlings for shelter...
museum. The provincial and federal governments won't commit to designating the barn with heritage status as it won't be re-constructed on its precise original site. The original site of the Bell Farm will be preserved with the lower one foot of the original building for archaeological findings. The roof and north wall had already collapsed due to a heavy snowfall during the winter o 2005-2006.
Hon. Dr. Lynda Haverstock
Lynda Haverstock
- External links :***...
, former Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, has been made Honorary Patron. Eric Peterson
Eric Peterson
Eric Neal Peterson, C.M. is a Canadian stage and television actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian series – Street Legal, Corner Gas and This is Wonderland.-Personal life:...
who portrays Oscar Leroy on the Canadian
Television in Canada
Television in Canada officially began with the opening of the nation's first television stations in Montreal and Toronto in 1952. As with most media in Canada, the television industry, and the television programming available in that country, are strongly influenced by the American media, perhaps...
television sitcom Corner Gas
Corner Gas
Corner Gas is a Canadian television sitcom created by Brent Butt. The series ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009. Re-runs still air on CTV and The Comedy Network in Canada; it formerly aired on WGN America in the United States....
is Honorary Chairman.