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A Colonist Family

Black & white photograph of a pioneer home. It is a box-shaped house with wood siding and a simple pitched roof. Nearby is a small round-timber shed. To the right of the house is a large garden enclosed by a split-rail fence. Two adults work the garden.

Photographer: Chemin de fer national du Canada
Date: [Around 19-?]
Source: Société d’histoire de la Rivière-du-Nord, Claude-Henri Grignon Fonds
Classification mark: P066,S05,SS02,D007,P01

About 5,000 people settled on land to the north of Saint-Jérôme thanks to Curé Labelle’s efforts. Besides starting a lottery to raise funds for his “reconquest” initiative, Labelle, as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Colonization, ensured passage of the “100 acres bill,” under which every family with at least 12 living children was entitled to a plot of Crown Land at no charge.