Bell Farm Site
N 50° 33.034 W 103° 40.750
13U E 593573 N 5600680
A short 3 minutes away or 2.8 km distance from the Bell Farm historical marker.
Waymark Code: WMKHDT
Location: Saskatchewan, Canada
Date Posted: 04/16/2014
Views: 9
As the board reads:
The Bell Barn: A unique symbol of our Agriculture History
In 1882 the Qu'Appelle Valley Company launched a ambitious 53,000 acre (21,500 hectare) corporate farming enterprise in the Indian Head district. The operation quickly became known as the Bell Farm, after the company's major shareholder and general manager, Major William R. Bell.
The original horse barn was built in 1882, and by 2006 was the last significant structure remaining from the farm. Before it was dismantled in 2008, the barn was one of a few surviving agriculture buildings in Saskatchewan from that era.
The original barn was constructed from stones gathered from farm fields. The exterior wall is 69 feet in diameter (21 meters) and 14 feet (4.3 meters) high. Inside, the barn had 29 single stalls and two enclosed box stalls with room for two horse each. The round barn design enabled one man to look after the horses.
The top of the wood lookout tower is 33 feet (10 meters) high. From here, Major Bell could easily see all of the 100 buildings erected on the farm within a five-mile (eight kilometer) radius. The washroom maintenance building is modeled after the cottages that the company built for its employees and their families. In 1884 some of these cottages were linked by Saskatchewan's first rural telephone system.
When the Bell Barn Society of Indian Head formed in 2006 to save this heritage structure the original barn had deteriorated to point that it could not be restored. The reconstructed barn was built just north of its first location, using the original stones. Remnants of the original barn remain on the property south of this site. This diagram shows the location of this sign in relation to the washroom building, the parking lot and the original barn site.
As the board reads:
Original Site of the Bell Barn
These wall remnants are the remains of the original Bell Barn, which was constructed at this location in 1882. When it was determined that the barn could not be restored on this site, the Bell Barn Society of Indian Head decided to leave some remains of the structure as a permanent record of the barn's original construction and location. This also preserved any archaeological features that may be associated with the barn.
The original stone house located near the barn was demolished in 1949. By 2006 the barn was beyond repair, and the Bell Barn Society was formed to preserve the story of the Bell Farm. and the round stone barn. The barn was dismantled in 2008 and reconstructed in 2009-20010 on a five-acre parcel of land owned by the Town of Indian Head.
Marker type: Historical Building & Site
Marker placement date: Not listed
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