Aerial view of Estevan Lodge, c. 1940, Photograph by Robert Wilson Reford
© Reford Gardens, Les Amis des Jardins de Métis Collection, NAC 1997.10.1.23
In 1850, the young Scot George Stephen immigrated to Canada. His sharp business sense first shined through in the textile trade. On the board of directors of the Bank of Montreal, he then became the bank’s vice president, and finally, president. Stephen is remembered as a pioneer of Canada’s railway system.
Like many of his fellow countrymen, Stephen was fond of salmon fishing. After owning a fishing camp in the Gaspésie’s Matapedia Valley, he bought the old seigneury of Grand-Metis in 1886. The following year, he had Estevan Lodge built on the banks of the Mitis River. This is where he received many illustrious visitors and continued to indulge in his favourite sport.
After the death of his wife, Stephen (by now Lord Mount Stephen) loaned the villa to family members and friends. In 1918, however, he gave it to his niece, Elsie Reford, who had spent her holidays there since the beginning of the century. Numerous photographs give us glimpses of the Reford family’s activities in Grand-Metis, away from the busy life of Little Metis.