Edenbank: The History of a Canadian Pioneer Farm

A richly illustrated chronicle that captures more than a century of life on a landmark Fraser Valley farm. This fascinating account details farming methods of a bygone era and all the toil, triumph and tragedy behind the establishment of a championship dairy herd.

When Allen Casey Wells passed through the valley of the Chilliwack River en route to the Cariboo goldfields in the spring of 1862, he observed some lush natural meadows on the prairie. Several years later, he returned to take up land here for himself and his young family, establishing a farm on Luckakuck Creek that would come to be known as Edenbank–home to the Wells family for the next four generations.

A.C.‘s grandson, the late Oliver N. Wells, tells of the days when teamsters rode horses and cows were milked by hand. He relates how several generations of his family, with extraordinary determination and vision, pioneered farming techniques and developed an award-winning herd of Ayrshire cattle that they exhibited across the country. His account also provides insight into the life of a contented man who loved the land and his birthplace and left an important legacy.