ROBITAILLE, Theodore, Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, 1883
Visited the Bell Farm with the Group of 66 in late August 1883. Dr. Theodore Robitaille (1834-1897) was a physician and provincial and federal politician who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec from 1879 until 1884.
A newspaper "The American Settler" Sept 29, 1883 reports: "The Lieutenant Governor of Quebec has been on a trip to the Canadian northwest and says: "The Country between Winnipeg and Moose Jaw or a little beyond it, is the richest I ever saw. The crops looked admirably. We went over the Bell Farm on our way back. They had 2300 acres under crop this year. The day we were there, they cut 300 acres with their 21 self binders. It was a wonderful sight. Major Bell and other good judges estimate the crop at 22 bushels to the acre. Next year,if the season is favourable they will do better as much of this year's crop was sown on the up-turned sod without back-setting."
SOURCES:
Photo Source: The Canadian Portrait Gallery (Vol 3)
href="http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/robitaille_theodore_12E.html" target="_blank"Dictionary of Canadian Biography: Robitaille, Theodore
RESEARCH BY:
Michelle Cabana, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and Frank Korvemaker, Regina, Sask.