In 1865, the couple moved to Chilliwack from Yale where Wells managed the property of his brother-in-law Charles Evans who continued to live in Yale. He purchased his own land, 400 acres, in 1866 and moved into a simple frame house. Acreage was added to the property over the ensuing years so that Wells became one of the largest landholders in the Sardis area.
Wells prospered in his farming endeavors. In 1885, he built the first creamery in the area, that later became a co-operative, the first in British Columbia. Wells' purebred Ayrshire cattle were, in 1906, recognized as the best in the Province. As early as 1907, Wells exported stock to Japan and Korea.
He was trustee and treasurer of the first church in the community, the Atchelitz Methodist Church that was built in 1869. He was Chilliwack's first Justice of the Peace, Reeve of the Municipality of Chilliwack for various terms and an active member of the Chilliwack Agricultural Society.
Sarah and Allan Casey Wells had two children, Lillian and Edwin. Edwin took over the farm after his father's retirement. In turn, Edwin's son Oliver continued the family tradition until the early 1970s when the farm was sold and subdivided.
P88- Formal portrait of Mrs. Sarah Manetta Wells
P89- The Wells Family
