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Creating a Tourism Destination – From Private Paradise to Public Attraction

Black and white aerial photograph of the Reford Gardens. On the right side of the photograph is a clump of spruce trees, and on the left is a long flower bed. In the upper part of the photograph is the Estevan Lodge, a long white wooden residence with a dark roof. At the top of the picture, a river crosses from left to right.

Photograph

Estevan Lodge, 1958

Les Amis des Jardins de Métis Collection

When Elsie Reford began creating her gardens in 1926, she never envisioned them as a public garden. They were a private paradise, a showcase for her special enthusiasm for plants. Visitors were rare. Family were welcome but expected to be on their best behaviour. Botanists and garden enthusiasts came but required a letter of introduction. She opened her gardens only occasionally. One such opening occurred during the Second World War when Elsie Reford welcomed the community to raise money for the war effort.

The government of Quebec purchased the property from her eldest son, Bruce Reford, in 1961. The government had great ambitions for the “Domaine Reford”, imagining the gardens as a key strategic gateway to develop tourism throughout the region. The estate was opened to the public for the first time on June 24, 1962. Premier Jean Lesage visited with his wife soon after. Banner headlines greeted the Premier, who vowed to make the gardens one of the “most picturesque stops along the ‘Tour de la Gaspésie’ ”.