CRAWFORD, Robert
Bell Farm Investor
Robert Crawford (1834-1897), was known as 'the Laird of Indian Head' and was an original investor in the Bell Farm who helped in selecting its location.
He was among some of the earliest people to sign the Bell Farm Visitors Register: signing on Sept. 14, 1884 - entry # 028.
Known as 'the Laird of Indian Head' Robert Crawford was an investor in the Bell Farm and helped in selecting it's location.
A former Hudson's Bay Company officer, Crawford named Indian Head, became the Postmaster, was owner of the general store, and sat as a member of the 1886/1887 North-West Territorial Council.
In 1863 he married Elizabeth Miles, daughter of Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) Chief Factor Robert S. Miles.
Crawford's two adopted children (his niece and nephew - Margaret and William) were well known in Indian Head. Margaret was the Sunday school teacher and Willie (HBC) took over the general store, which burnt down in the early 1900's along with it's $25,000 worth of uninsured stock. William then moved to Kelowna, B.C. where he was known as 'the man in the white stetson hat'; so it seems he had his father's outgoing personality.
SOURCES:
Photo: McCord Museum, Montreal / William Notman Collection
photo source: McCord Museum/William Notman
"Indian Head: History of Indian Head and District", p. 332.
Marriage: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~maryc/leeds1863.htm - 23 Aug. 1863
Canadian Parliamentary Companion: http://books.google.ca/books?id=VWUSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA377&dq=%22Capt.+Andrew+Crawford%22&hl=en&ei=rSNvTe3LM8O2tgfgtuTuDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEMQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=%22Capt.%20Andrew%20Crawford%22&f=false
Sketch & obit for Robert Crawford – “Annual of the Manitoba Branch Royal Caledonian Club of Scotland , Vol. 9, 1897-98” -
https://static.torontopubliclibrary.ca/da/pdfs/37131055280747d.pdf - pg 40-41Death Notice for Robert Crawford (died Sept 22 1897) Leader Post (middle page of front page~ zoom twice): http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=IjbvboqL_eAC&dat=18970923&printsec=frontpage
Death Notice for Robert Crawford Qu'Appelle Progress(bottom right hand corner of front page): http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=HOg0WoviCygC&dat=18970923&printsec=frontpage
'Morning Leader' (Crawford named Indian Head reference ) http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MwZTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0DcNAAAAIBAJ&pg=5006,2266106&dq=robt+crawford+indian-head&hl=en
"The Laird" of Indian Head: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5XhTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ODgNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4711,3977647&dq=robt+crawford+indian-head&hl=en
Letter referring to "The Laird" of Indian Head: http://dev.glenbow.org/collections/search/findingAids/archhtm/macleod/scan_1890_01.htm
RESEARCH BY:
Michelle Cabana, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.