Born and brought up on this property, purchased by his grandfather Levi Roblin in 1821, Rodman Roblin moved to Fort Garry (Winnipeg) in 1877. Elected as an Independent member to the Manitoba legislature in 1888, he was defeated in 1892. Roblin was re-elected in 1896 after joining the Conservatives, and that year became their provincial leader. The Conservatives were victorious in 1899 and Roblin succeeded H.J. Macdonald in October, 1900, as premier of Manitoba. His administration, 1900-1915, promoted the western grain trade, encouraged railway construction and by adding large northern territories more than doubled the size of the province. An outstanding leader in Manitoba's formative years, Roblin was knighted in 1912.