The Bell Barn: A Unique Symbol of Our Agricultural History

The Bell Barn: A Unique Symbol of Our Agricultural History. . , In 1882 the Qu'Appelle Valley Farming Company launched an 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 Bell Barn was one of a few surviving agricultural 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 metres) and 14 feet (4.3 metres) high. Inside, the barn had 29 single stalls and two enclosed box stalls with room for two horses in each. The round barn design enabled one man to look after the horses. , The top of the wooden lookout tower is 33 feet (10 metres) 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 the 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., www.bellbarn.ca .