Elsie Meighen Reford (1872-1967)

Elsie Meighen was born in Perth, Ontario, on January 22, 1872. She was a woman who made a difference. She married Robert Wilson Reford in 1894. Her father, Robert Meighen, was president of Lake of the Woods Milling Co. (maker of Five Roses flour). Her mother, Elsie Stephen, was the sister of Lord Mount Stephen. Elsie was a driving force in the foundation of the Women’s Canadian Club of Montreal, a philanthropist and a musician. She got involved in VON (Victoria Order of Nurse). The house at 13 Thompson Point was her summer residence from 1891 to 1907. In 1918, she inherited the domain Stephen Lodge of her uncle George, Lord Mount Stephen, in Métis. After diagnosing appendicitis, her doctor forbade her from salmon fishing. She then turned to creating the Reford Gardens (Jardins de Métis). Elsie acquired a reputation of great gardener.