Estevan Lodge – Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

When he built Estevan Lodge, George Stephen was both rich and famous. His business acumen had made him the wealthiest man in Canada and one of the British Empire’s foremost financiers.

Sir George (he was made a baronet in 1886) used Estevan Lodge for the first time in June 1887. Among his first guests were his cousin Donald Smith (later Lord Strathcona) and the Governor-General, Lord Lansdowne. In July, he welcomed the country’s most illustrious citizen, prime minister Sir John A. Macdonald and his wife, Lady Macdonald.

The arrival in Metis of George Stephen changed the social order and the local economy. Within a year he had built a big house, hired men to maintain his fishing camp and recruited guides from the Gaspe to guard the river. His contribution of $50 to the collection plate of the Presbyterian Church at Leggatt’s Point was the biggest of the year. His wife supported the creation of a Sunday School and endowed the local school. But the donations paled in comparison to what Stephen spent building Estevan and acquiring land and fishing rights on the Metis River – more than $38,000!

The transformation of the river into a private fishing preserve was not greeted with enthusiasm by all local residents. While many were employed building the lodge, others were put out of work by the closure of the lumber mill at the river mouth. In the face of protests from local farmers and pressure from the curé in St. Octave, Stephen bought seed to help farmers sow their crops the following year.

Stephen established a tradition of largesse and hospitality that was perpetuated by his niece, Elsie Reford, to whom he gifted the property in 1918.