The Bell Farm Series contains photos, maps and textual records about the 57,000 acre Qu’Appelle Valley Farming Corporation (called “The Bell Farm”), of which Major William Robert Bell of Brockville, Ontario, was the founder in 1882 and the farm’s general manager. Financial difficulties associated with crop failures as well as the 1885 Northwest Resistance at Batoche (led by Louis Riel Jr.) arose at the farm. During the Resistance, Major Bell and most of his workers and horses were in the service of the Canadian militia and little or no crop was planted or harvested. In 1886, much of the farm’s land and assets were sold and the corporation was re-financed, resulting in a smaller company registered as “The Bell Farm Company.” This company also failed financially by 1889 and was liquidated.
Major Bell retained a personal holding of 12,000 acres, which he farmed from 1889 to 1895, supported by investors. Further misfortunes, primarily, the destruction by fire of his flour mill and the sudden death of his wife caused Major Bell to leave Indian Head in 1895. His land and assets were sold by auction.
The archival materials include photos of the farm buildings, including the large stone house and the round barn which, in 2020, continues to be a museum dedicated to telling the story of Major Bell’s huge farming company. Other photos and textual records tell the stories of the people and the operations of the farm.

The Experimental Farm Series contains photos, maps and textual records of the Government of Canada’s Indian Head Experimental Farm – now the Indian Head Research Farm.
Angus MacKay, who had come to Indian Head as a settler, became the first superintendent. It originally occupied Section 19, Township 18, Range 12, West of 2, which was purchased from the Bell Farm, and Section 30 (the North Farm) was added later. The main office is at coordinates 50.5328; -103.6520.
Angus MacKay’s priorities in the first years were to find and demonstrate adapted cereal crops, vegetables, fruits and shelter trees and shrubs for prairie settlers. The shelterbelt trees and shrubs were in such high demand that a separate Forest Nursery Station (Tree Nursery) was created by the federal government south of Indian Head on an unused “school quarter” in 1901.
The archival materials span the entire history of the Experimental Farm / Research Farm, including stories like the testing and introduction of Marquis wheat, long-term crop rotations, summerfallowing, direct seeding and livestock research. There is information about many past employees and there are many publications that originated from this important and historic research station.

This includes minutes from local farm organizations and early photos of local farming activities and operations.

The series will consists of archival materials pertaining to the federal Tree Nursery. See the Tree Nursery Fonds (TNF) for a comprehensive collection of documents and photos in the form of over 7m of textual documents in 3-ring binders and a slide cabinet which contains duplicate slides produced by Tree Nursery staff over many years.