Businesses in the Village of Old Saint Léon 1880 - 1885
(Translated from Odile Martel's Pionniers de la Montagne Pembina ) If you recall, Olivier and his son Frederic Lafrenière arrived in St. Léon in the 1870's where there wasn't a priest, church, or school. In fact, Olivier had sent a letter dated July 4, 1878, addressed to Bishop Taché begging him to send them a priest to Saint-Léon, he stated: « (...) Tomorrow I will bury one of my children and it is very painful for me to bury in my field this child who is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. (...). This child of Olivier Lafrenière was probably the first child to be buried in Saint-Léon (p. H-24). Father Theobald Bitsche would arrive and settle in the community the following year. By 1882, the village was bustling with activity and settlers. (p. H-39) There were two stores at the time, Anthony Messner's and Joseph Laçasse's, who came from Sainte-Elizabeth, Quebec. Twelve houses were under construction in the village in 1882. In the fall of 1882, Anthony Messner...