Established in 1882, the Qu'Appelle Valley Farming Company, better known as the Bell Farm, was a century ahead of its time, and is now recognized as the first large corporate farm in present-day Saskatchewan.

The Bell Barn Society has rolled out an Eductional Program for Teachers suitable for Divisions One & Two.

We greatly appreciate the financial and in-kind contributions that people and agencies have made and continue to make the Bell Barn Project Possible. Please make your donations to:

Bell Barn Society of Indian Head

P.O. Box 1882
Indian Head, Saskatchewan
S0G 2K0

Charitable Registration Number
83482 0524 RR000

History of the Bell Farm

It has been over 125 years since the Bell Farm was established just north of Indian Head, on the northern edge of the Great Plains of North America. This corporate farm was an experiment supported by the federal government of Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, and was officially called the Qu'Appelle Valley Farming Company. Its shareholders were located in Ontario, but one of them, Major William R. Bell, came west to serve as general manager of the Company. It wasn't long before the farm achieved a more recognizable and memorable name: the Bell Farm.

Construction of the Bell Farm started in 1882, under the direction of A. J. Osment. Within a year over 100 buildings were constructed on this corporate farm, which included about 53,000 acres (or 332 quarter sections). Although the corporate farm itself didn't last out the decade, the mythology of this farm, which featured Saskatchewan's first round barn, has lived on in history books, magazine and in the lives of the people of the Indian Head district.

To read more about the history of the Bell Farm, we invite you to click on the following articles:

Historical Research

If you are looking for additional historical information on the Bell Farm, or have information you would like to share with us, please contact:

Frank Korvemaker
59 Compton Road
Regina, Saskatchewan
S4S 2Y2
Tel: (306) 586-1405
E-mail: fkorvemaker@accesscomm.ca

The Bell Farm Visitors' Register

The Visitors' Register was created in 1884 and used from August 1884 until December 1895. It was preserved by the Bell family for over a century and is now permanently housed at the Saskatchewan Archives Board. The Register includes the names of over 300 visitors to and guests of the Bell Farm, including local residents, family, many visitors from across Canada and Europe and various military personnel and political dignitaries, the most senior of whom was Governor General Lansdowne.

Not everyone who visited the Bell Farm signed the Register. Nevertheless, this historical document provides an important insight into some of the many people who came to see the best known farm in Canada during the 1880s and 1890s, including military personnel involved with the North-West Rebellion of 1885. The following images show the cover and the 11 pages that were actually used.