The Bell Farm Visitors Register was printed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and was first used in August 1884, a full two years after the Bell Farm began operations. Hence, it is not a complete record of all who visited the Farm, as many early visits are not recorded. As well, historical information from other sources indicates that not everyone who came to the Farm signed the Visitors Register.
This album includes approximately 310 entries. Most of the research on these people was undertaken by Michelle Cabana of Saskatoon. Her ability to decipher the signatures in the Register and to then locate historical information on and photos of those people has been most rewarding. The information attests to the great variety of people who visited the Bell Farm from diverse locations in Europe and North America, and the mixture of ages. Considering the transportation facilities of the late 19th century, it is remarkable that so many people found the time and resources to travel to the Canadian West and to take the time to include a visit to the Bell Farm in those itineraries. Even more remarkable is that so many of those visitors subsequently wrote about their experiences and publish them in newspapers, journals and books.
The Register Entry Numbers correspond with the sequential numerical system that Major Bell instituted. While he carefully numbered each line for the first few pages, he discontinued that process about 1/3 of the way through, at number 128. Hence, later numbers (129 to 310) were assigned by us in the same sequence as the visitors signed the book.
A photograph of each Register page is inserted immediately before the entry number at the top of that page. Click on the page to get an enlargement of the signatures and accompanying information.
There are 268 entries in the Register during the early years of the Bell Farm's operation, when the Farm's fame was wide-spread. However, after the Bell Farm suffered financially in 1885 and 1886, and was reorganized in 1886, the number of visitors dropped dramatically. Between 1888 and 1894 only 42 additional visitors signed the Register.
NOTE: In some instances, where evidence clearly indicates that both husband and wife visited the Bell Farm, an extra entry has been made for the spouse, generally by adding an "a" after the primary entry number, and a "b" after the secondary entry. For example: Entry 28a is for Robert Crawford, and Entry 28b is for his wife, Elizabeth [Miles] Crawford.
RESEARCH BY:
Pimary research was undertaken by Michelle Cabana, Saskatoon, Sask, with assistanbce from several others, including: Margaret Hryniuk and Frank Korvemaker, both of Regina, Sask., and Bill Pinfold, England.

- 001 - Cover and Title of the Bell Farm Visitors' Register
- 002 - Inside cover - maker's mark detail
Manufactured in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1884 - The Bell Barn Visitor's Register was manufactured in Winnipeg, Manitoba by Robert D. Richardson, stationer, fine printer, and blank book maker. The re-order number is also printed on this sticker. As well, when held to the light, the watermarks in the paper for the individual pages of the Register can be discerned. - 003 - Sample title for interior pages
Includes signatures on page 3 - Register entry 001a - Bell Farm Visitors' Register - page 1
Original Signatures: entries 1 to 32: Aug 8 - 14, 1884 - Register entry 001b - Rev. Adelbert Anson, Bishop of the Diocese of Assiniboia
Visited the Bell Farm in late August 1883 on the Grand CPR Tour with 65 others, and again on August 8, 1884 - Anglican Bishop Adelbert Anson, first Bishop of Qu'Appelle (1884-94). He was also the first person to sign the Bell Farm Visitors' Register.
SOURCES:
"Llving Faith: A pictorial history of the Diocese of Qu'Appelle from 1884 to 1984", by Trevor Powell, p. 2.
RESEARCH BY:
Frank Korvemaker, Regina, Saskatchewan - Register entry 003-004 - Rev. John Grisdale, Dean of Rupertsland
Visited the Bell Farm on August 8, 1884 - John Grisdale was a theology professor at St. John's College and the Anglican Dean for the Diocese of Qu'Appelle in 1884. He later served as the Bishop of Qu'Appelle from 1896 to 1911. He visited the Bell Farm with Bishop Anson on Aug. 8, 1884.
SOURCES:
Photo: "Manitoba Free Press"
RESEARCH BY:
Michelle Cabana, Saskatoon, Sask. - Register entry 008 - Henry Hall Smith
Visited the Bell Farm on August 8, 1884 - Henry Hall Smith (b. 1867) was a lawyer, the Commissioner of Dominion Lands, and a member of the Dominion Lands Board in Winnipeg. He visited the Bell Farm on August 8, 1884, the first day that Major Bell opened his Visitors Register for people to sign.
SOURCES:
click on: Henry Hall Smith
RESEARCH BY:
Michelle Cabana, Saskatoon, Sask. - Register entry 009 - John McDonald Gordon
Visited the Bell Farm on August 8, 1884. - John MacDonald Gordon, Dominion land agent (promoted to Inspector of Dominion Lands Agencies 1885) visited the Bell farm August 8th, 1884 along with Commissioner H.H. Hall.
SOURCES:
Photo: LAC = Library and Archives Canada LAC Letter Ottawa / Civil Service Ottawa/1879/Dept Interior
Winnipeg Free Press: Oct 5, 1885 - "J. McD. Gordon,land agent at Calgary, has been appointed inspector of Dominion land agencies and a member of the land board in place of H.H. Smith,promoted."
LAC: Online MIKAN no. 547494
Sessional Papers
RESEARCH BY:
Michelle Cabana, Saskatoon, Sask. - Register entry 012 - Lieut. Gov. Edgar Dewdney
Visited the Bell Farm on August 8, 1884. - Edgar Dewdney (1835-1916) was an early investor in and served as President of the Qu'Appelle Valley Farming Company. He was also the Lieutenant Governor of the North-West Territories from 1881 to 1888; and of British Columbia from 1892 until 1897.
SOURCES:
Photo: Public Archives of Canada: PA 2668. "Dictionary of Canadian Biography": Edgar Dewdney, by E. Brian Titley.
RESEARCH BY:
Michelle Cabana, Saskatoon, Sask. and Frank Korvemaker, Regina, Sask. - Register entry 013 - Mrs. Jane Dewdney
Visited the Bell Farm on August 8, 1884. - Jane Shaw [Moir] Dewdney was the wife of Edgar Dewdney, Lieutenant Governor of the North-West Territories (1881-1888). She initially lived at Government House, Battleford, then moved to Regina with her husband when the Seat of Territorial Government relocated there in 1883. She reportedly disliked living on the vast open prairie. Jane died in 1906.
SOURCES:
Photo: Public Archives of Canada: PA 175360 Dictionary of Canadian Biography: Edgar Dewdney, by E. Brian Titley.
RESEARCH BY:
Michelle Cabana, Saskatoon, Sask. - Register entry 014 - Richard Sykes
Visited the Bell Farm on August 8, 1884. In 1882, Richard Sykes (1839-1923), an English capitalist of Stockport, England, who began purchasing North American land in 1880, lived between England and the States, eventually permanently settling in Santa Barbara, California.
In Canada, Sykes established a large farm northwest of the Bell Farm, near the present town of Edgeley. He initially bought 31 quarter sections of land from the CPR, and gradually extended that to 125 quarter sections (or 20,000 ares).
Sykes was among the first group of 15 people to sign the Bell Farm Visitors Register on August 8, 1884. Sykes also established large farms in North Dakota, as well as several communities which he named after various family and places in England: Sykeston, Bowdon, Edgeley, Chaseley, and Alfred. Sykes also owned land in Iowa, Oregon and California.
Edgeley Farm in Saskatchewan was managed on Sykes' behalf by William C. Cameron, a native of Scotland, until the Farm was sold off in 1903.
Although Sykes was reportedly a regular visitor to the American farms; to date he is only known to have visited his Canadian farm on three occasions.
SOURCES:
Photo Source: taken in 1906
Other Sources: "Qu'Appelle Progress" newspaper: 1885-1892, various issues, for the dates shown below: 1885 - Nov. 13 and 27 1886 - Jan. 15, April 30, Aug 8 1887 - April 28 1889 - March 8, April 12, May 3, Sept. 6 1890 - April 25 1892 - June 9 and 23
Local history: "Qu'Appelle: Footprints to Progress", p. 390-391
Edgeley, North Dakota - http://www.edgeley.com/index.asp?SEC=67C99C26-90F8-4544-A77A-13586D0B9AB3&Type=B_
BASIC Sale of Sykes Farm Lands at Edgeley, Sask in 1883 - http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/1180.html
Sykes and Rugby link - http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/timeline1850s.htm
Purchase of farm machinery, with signature, 1882 - Farm Machinery purchase
Sykes & Hughes - "Jamestown Alert", June 29 1883 Sykes in Winnipeg - "Toronto Daily Mail", May 31 1883 Sykes Marriage - "St Paul Globe", July 14 1904
Sykes obituary - "Fitchburg Sentinel", June 1 1923
Richard Sykes/ Rugby School - six Sykes sons attended - https://archive.org/stream/rugbyschoolregis02rugbuoft#page/128/mode/2up
Rugby School - http://www.rugbyschool.net/history
Rugby Football History - http://rugbyfootballhistory.com/timeline1850s.htm
Richard Sykes (now living in Santa Barbara) referencing his entry year at Rugby - https://archive.org/stream/arthurstantonam00russgoog#page/n30/mode/2up
Richard Sykes' Will/ United States Circuit Court of Appeals -
Cover of Richard's Will - USA Will / birth dates of Sykes two sons - https://casetext.com/case/burnet-v-pacific-southwest-trust-savings-bk
Richard Sykes: Wife: Fanny Eliza Walton Richard Sykes 2 sons: Richard Sykes jr Born Sept 7 1905 California; Edward Christopher Sykes born Aug 22 1907 California/ died Dec 4 1978 (San Mateo California)/ Wealthy holder of extensive ranch lands/newspaper articles record long history of violence(wife/divorced/ Marjorie,John 1953/Phillip 1956/Lorna 1957)
Richard Sykes biographical entry of the time - https://archive.org/stream/compendiumhistor00chic#page/896/mode/2up
Richard Sykes writes a sketch of Sykeston North Dakota - https://archive.org/stream/collectionsofsta01stat#page/382/mode/2up
Manchester Geographical Society / Richard Sykes is a member/ Edgeley and Bell Farm - https://archive.org/stream/journamanl01mancuoft#page/266/mode/2up MGS/presentation by Richard Sykes - https://archive.org/stream/journamanl02mancuoft#page/n93/mode/2up
Richard Sykes pg 263 and pg 109 - http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt/search?q1=sykes;id=mdp.39015070241032;view=2up;seq=116;start=1;sz=10;page=search;orient=0
Richard Sykes/Wells County - https://archive.org/stream/earlyhistoryofno01loun#page/340/mode/2up
Oral History Collection/North Dakota- Richard Sykes - http://history.nd.gov/archives/manuscripts/inventory/10157counties/10157%20Wells.html
Richard Sykes/ land in North Dakota and Canada pg 321-322
North Dakota: Counties, Towns and Peoples - Sykes land in North Dakota & Canada
RESEARCH BY:
Michelle Cabana, Saskatoon, Sask.; Margaret Hryniuk, Regina, Sask.; and Frank Korvemaker, Regina. - Register entry 016 - Capt. George Pritchard-Rayner
Visited the Bell Farm on Aug. 8, 1884 - Capt. George Pritchard-Rayner was a retired officer of the 5th Dragoon Guards and Master of the Anglesey Harriers. In 1871 he married Brady Rayner and added her surname to his own.
SOURCES:
Photo: "Baily's Monthly Magazine of Sports and Pastimes" click on: Book reference click on: Marriage to Brady Rayner info "http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924030498939#page/n29/mode/2up/search/Rayner> http://www.archive.org/stream/annalswarwicksh00verngoog#page/n42/mode/2up/search/Rayner "New York Times", Aug 29, 1884 has Pritchard Rayner headed home - http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F60B10F93A5A1A738DDDA00A94D0405B8484F0D3
RESAERCH BY:
Michelle Cabana, Saskatoon, Sask. - Register entry 020 - Alfred Pegler
Visited the Bell Farm on Aug. 12, 1884 - Alfred Pegler JP, was a well known Southampton jeweler and Liberal politician. In 1849 he inherited the family jewelery business and made significant commercial progress, while playing an important part in the public life of Southampton. Pegler visited the Bell Farm with the British Association on Aug 8 1884. His impressions of this visit to Canada were published in the Hampshire Independent.
SOURCES:
Photo: http://www.parkhousethejeweller.com/about-us/history-timeline Other Sources: Bell Farm visit (and a great description of his hotel stay) - pgs 24,36,37-39,50,52,60 and 83 - https://archive.org/stream/cihm_09228#page/n45/mode/2up
RESEARCH BY:
Michelle Cabana, Saskatoon, Sask. - Register Entry 022 - John Fisher Wood
Visited the Bell Farm on Aug. 12, 1884 - John Fisher Wood, (1854-1899) Member of Parliament for Brockville, was Major Bell's barrister and acted as one of the two arbitrators during the dispute between the squatters and the Qu'Appelle Valley Farming Company. The other arbitrator (for the squatters) was George Taylor. John Wood was Major Bell's representative during the 1882 squatters debate.
SOURCES:
Photo: Library and Archives Canada Letter from Robert R. Coleman (one of the squatters) to Sir John A. Macdonald – Calgary, Dec. 9 1885 - http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayEcopies&lang=eng&rec_nbr=469527&title=[Correspondence].&ecopy=e008592058&back_url=() List of squatters include: William McLeod, J.D. Jewitt, S.M. Stiles, John Stevenson, and R.R. Coleman; as well as Thompson – House of Commons Debates, p. 205-206, 23 Feb. 1885. - http://books.google.ca/books?id=OKQgAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA205&dq=%22+woods+MP%22+%22brockville%22+%22major+Bell%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JKz6TtqTIOTy0gGL48iaAg&sqi=2&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22%20woods%20MP%22%20%22brockville%22%20%22major%20Bell%22&f=false
RESEARCH BY:
Michelle Cabana, Saskatoon, Sask. - Register entry 024 - Alexander McArthur
Visited the Bell Farm on August 14, 1884 - A Winnipeg general merchant, Alex MacArthur helped found the Manitoba Historical and Scientific Society. He visited the Bell Farm with his wife May and sons Ian and David on Aug. 14, 1884, as well as his brother Duncan. Note: The surname is variously spelled McArthur and MacArthur on contemporary historical records.
SOURCES:
Photo: http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/mcarthur_a.shtml
RESEARCH BY:
Michelle Cabana, Saskatoon, Sask.