Seager Wheeler

Infobox Person
name = Seager Wheeler


image_size =
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birth_date = 1868
birth_place = Isle of Wight, England
death_date = December 15, 1961
death_place = Victoria
education =
occupation =Plant breeder, agronomist, farmer
spouse =Lily Martin in 1908
parents =
children =Beth and Isobelle

Seager Wheeler, MBE (1868 – December 15, 1961) an agronomist by profession, was designated as a person of national historic significance in 1988 by the Canadian federal government and inducted into the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame. Wheeler produced viable economic wheat and fruit strains for a short prairie growing season with harsh winters. Known as the "Wheat King of the prairies" or "The Wheat Wizard of Rosthern" [cite web
last =
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title =Virtual Saskatchewan - Wizard o' Wheat
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date =1997-2007
url =http://www.virtualsk.com/current_issue/wizard.html
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accessdate = 2007-05-01 ] he owned and operated the Seager Wheeler's Maple Grove Farm.

Seager came to Canada in 1885 and applied for his own homestead in 1890. His original homestead was located at NE Section 16 Township 38 Range 4 West of the 3rd Meridian, and he was aided by a loan from the Temperance Colonization Society Limited - Toronto [Citation
last =SK Archives Board, Pioneer, EDS, SK Genealogical Society
first =ISC, ISM, SIAST, Metis National Council, SK Heritage Foundation
author-link =
last2 =
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author2-link =
title =SHIP Search Results
date =
year =
url =http://www.saskhomesteads.com/results.asp?Page=7&name=WHEELER%25%25%25%25%25%25&part=&section=&township=&range=&meridian=&remarks=&search_type=starts&searchremarks=
accessdate = 2007-05-01 ] [Citation
last =Library and Archives Canada
first =
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title =Western Land Grants (1870-1930) - ArchiviaNet - Library and Archives Canada
date =
year =
url =http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/020111_e.html
accessdate = ] Whereas the nearest present day town of Rosthern, Saskatchewan [Citation
last =Library and Archives Canada
first =
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title =Item Display - Post Offices and Postmasters - ArchiviaNet - Library and Archives Canada
date =2007-02-12
year =
url =http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/post-offices/001001-119.01-e.php?&isn_id_nbr=11404&interval=24&&PHPSESSID=ja2e56t4uqrvpsui0sureeulf0
accessdate = 2007-05-01] is located at Sec.35, Twp.42, R.3, W3. To get to the restored Seager Wheeler Maple Grove convert|185|acre|km2|sing=on Farm travel 7 km east of Rosthern. Five separate entries of wheat which were grown at this farm location during 1911 to 1918 won World Wheat Championships. Morris Bodnar, Member of Parliament for Saskatoon—Dundurn, commemorated Seager Wheeler's Maple Grove Farm as a National Historic Site on August 3, 1996. [cite web
last =Trevor Ashfield
first =Canadian Heritage
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Seager Wheeler's Maple Grove Farm Commemorated as a National ...
work =
publisher =
date =
url =http://www.pch.gc.ca/newsroom/index_e.cfm?fuseaction=displayDocument&DocIDCd=6NR135
format =
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accessdate = 2007-05-01 ] The site is honoured as the location where hardy wheat and fruit strains were developed which were well suited to the prairie climate and growing season.

Life

Born on the Isle of Wight, England in 1868, Seager emigrated to the Canadian prairies in 1885, the same year as the North West Rebellion. He worked on various farms for five years before applying for his own homestead near Rosthern, Saskatchewan. He died in Victoria and is interred in the Bergthal cemetery with his family, just west of where he homesteaded. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =CRS COMMPOSTER
work =
publisher =
date =October 2004
url =http://www.canadianrosesociety.org/CommPoster/oldhtml/c006-pg_files/c006-pg14.html
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accessdate = 2007-05-01 ]

History

Seager Wheeler developed many dryland farming techniques, invented equipment as well as winning numerous awards for developing wheat strains and fruits which would grow in the short prairie season, seeds which would survive over winter and many other practices which helped develop a sustainable agricultural economy in Saskatchewan.

Awards

*1911 New York Land Show International Award for Wheat entry. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame
work =Salute to Saskatchewan Farm Leaders
publisher =
date =2006
url =http://www.sahf.ca/profile.php?id=143
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doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-01]
*1911 Canadian Pacific Railway first prize of $1000 in gold coins for best North American hard spring wheat.
*1915 Denver Competition Prize.
*1916 El Paso Competition Prize.
*1918 International Soil Products Exposition in Kansas City Prize.
*1919 honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Queen's University [cite web
last =
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authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Welcome to the Seager Wheeler Farm - The Man
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url =http://www.seagerwheelerfarm.org/theman.htm
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accessdate = 2007-05-01 ]
*1945 Member of the Order of the British Empire
*1972 Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame
*1988 designated by the Canadian Government as a person of National Significance.

Legacy

*Seager Wheeler Hall at the residences of University of Saskatchewan is named in his honour.
*Seager Wheeler Lake Area named in his honour.
*Dr. Seager Wheeler Park, located in Saskatoon's Westview neighborhood is named in his honour.

Published works

*Grain Growers Guide-articles
*Seager Wheeler's book on profitable grain growing / by Seager Wheeler. With biographical sketch by Hopkins MoorhousePublisher: Winnipeg : The Grain growers' guide, 1919.
* Seager Wheeler's book on profitable grain growing Publisher: Winnipeg, Grain Growers' Guide, ltd, 1919.
*Special prices on Seager Wheeler's selected seeds and northern grown nursery stockPublisher: [Rosthern? Sask. : S. Wheeler] , 1930.
*Seager Wheeler's book on profitable grain growing 2nd ed. / by Seager Wheeler ; with biographical sketch by Hopkins Publisher Winnipeg : Grain Growers' Guide, 1919.
*Special prices on Seager Wheeler's 1927 selected seeds Publisher: [Rosthern? Sask. : S. Wheeler, 1926?] [cite web
last =National Library of Canada.
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =resAnet Results Summary
work =
publisher =
date =1997
url =http://www.collectionscanada.ca/wbin/resanet/resultsm/l=0/d=1/r=1/e=0/s=s/n=NK/h=10/t=3960505/u=Author=Wheeler,+Seager,[phone]
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accessdate = 2007-05-01 ]
*"Profitable Grain Growing" published by Grain Growers Guide in 1919 by Seager Wheeler. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame
work =Salute to Saskatchewan Farm Leaders
publisher =
date =2006
url =http://www.sahf.ca/profile.php?id=143
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-05-01]

ee also

*Seager Wheeler's Maple Grove Farm
*National historic site
*List of National Historic Sites of Canada

External links

* [http://www.pc.gc.ca/voyage-travel/pv-vp/itm9-/page10_e.asp National Parks and National Historic Sites of Canada in Saskatchewan]
* [http://www.econet.sk.ca/sk_enviro_champions/farmers.html Farmers of Saskatchewan • Saskatchewan's Environmental Champions]
* [http://www.sasktourism.com/default.asp?page=63 Attractions & Events Fact Sheet]
* [http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=8c6c27f5-eb63-4b3a-8ab0-53c6113bc063 News Releases/June 1996/SEAGER WHEELER HISTORIC FARM ATTRACTION OPENS]
* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0008548 Wheeler, Seager]
* [http://www.se.gov.sk.ca/ecosystem/sran/SEAGER.pdf Seager Wheeler Lake Representative Area -- Concept Management Plan --]
* [http://www.publications.gov.sk.ca/details.cfm?p=23410 Canada's What King: The Life and Times of Seager Wheeler]

References