Herman Trelle
Toronto Daily Star, December 5 1932
Herman Trelle (1894-1945) won the Alberta amateur heavyweight wrestling championship in 1914 and 1915. He became a grain farmer in 1916, and then went off to serve in the First World War.
Returning to his farm after the war, he won his first awards in 1926 when he won the wheat and oats prizes at the Chicago International Hay and Grain Show. In 1931, he won awards for wheat, oats, rye, flax, and timothy. By 1934, he and his wife had won 135 international awards.
Unfortunately, things went downhill from there and ended in tragedy. The Great Depression forced Trelle to give up his farm; he and his family moved to Grande Prairie, Alberta. After serving in World War II, he moved to California to supervise an olive grove ranch and was murdered by a foreman who had just been fired.
Searches turned up a number of articles on Mr. Trelle and his prize-winning farm, including a collection of photographs and a biography on the Grains West website.
Created September 12, 2025.