Statue Miss Claybelt

It is impossible to go through New Liskeard without noticing the giant fibreglass dairy cow – crafted by Mr. Jerry Sherperson – that highlights the area’s agriculture to visiting tourists.

There is an on-site museum showcasing the life of the pioneers of the Little Claybelt area from the 1880s to the 1950s. Exhibits change periodically to arouse constant interest among returning visitors.

The statue is an imitation of a much smaller model provided to Mr.Sheperdson by the Dairy Association of Canada. Ms. Claybelt is intended to resemble a Holstein-Friesian cow (the most popular of the dairy breeds) and is approximately 12 feet in height! Ms. Claybelt is a symbol of the large agricultural industry of the area. In the early eighties, The Dymond Township Council approached local businessman Jerry Shepherdson to construct the famous Ms. Claybet statue.

In May 1879, Brother Joseph Moffette sowed the first handful of wheat seeds in the Témiscamingue region. The results are unexpected for this clay soil. The 90 bushels harvested in the first year multiply from season to season.

The arrival of many settler families, between 1886 and 1910, marked the beginning of pioneer agriculture in Témiscamingue. The colonizers are busy clearing the land in order to increase the cultivable areas. Ox-drawn plows began to ply the hillsides.

Due to its climate and soil conditions, this area is great for producing canola, hay, and mixed wheat crops.

The Haskap is a hybrid berry that is best suited for northern climates. Said to taste like a combination of raspberry and blueberry, the Haskap berry has been growing in popularity!

Cultivating the region’s rich soil only began at the end of the 19th century.

Mr. Charles Cobbold Farr worked at the Fort Témiscamingue Post. While exploring the shoreline of the lake, he fell in love with a parcel of land about 10 kilometres west of a river that flows out the northwest end of the lake. He purchased the land and named it Haileybury. His goal was to cultivate the soil and bring in settlers, except his thinking conflicted with Hudson’s Bay Company staff who were only interested in the fur trade. He reached out to the government, and specialists studied the soil. It was determined that millions of acres were cultivable, the trees on thousands of acres were suitable for logging and numerous waterways were navigable.

Later, minerals would also be discovered. Since the Ontario Government needed to address the out-migration of young farmers to Western Canada and the United States, the land was sold at a good price in the North. Mr. John Armstrong was named Crown Lands Officer and began land surveying and allotment.

The harvests supplied food to the Saint-Claude Mission, logging camps and settlers in the area, ensuring the survival of pioneers and many horses. The Indigenous people played a role in uprooting, plowing, seeding and harvesting. Agriculture slowly gained momentum as a way to feed the people and animals and, later, surpluses were sold to logging companies.

Today, there are several dairies, beef and bison farms in our area. The rich soil allows for extensive wheat, oat, canola and soybean farming. Haskaps are a new crop at Verger du Terroir.