History Articles

In Memory of Chelsea’s Historic Cemeteries: Stories of the Old Chelsea Protestant Burial Ground, Chelsea Pioneer Cemetery, St. Stephen’s Cemetery, and Chelsea’s Homestead Plots

Here is a historical book with a difference. It traces the story of Chelsea’s community development in relation to its well-preserved cemeteries and the people buried in them.

Incorporation and Construction
The railway line to Maniwaki was incorporated in 1871 under Quebec Statute as the Ottawa and Gatineau Valley Railroad Company to build “from or near the village of Hull to a point at or near the confluence of the Desert and Gatineau Rivers,” (Maniwaki). Included in the first Board of Directors were such prominent Gatineau Valley individuals as E.B. Eddy, Alonzo Wright, John MacLaren, Andrew Pritchard, and Patrick Farrel.

The workers were mostly French-speakers; the craftsmen included many Scandinavians skilled in log construction; and the architect was Harold Lawson. In 1930, they built here the largest log structure in the world.

What is heritage? Webster's defines it as "property that is or can be inherited; something handed down from one's ancestors or the past; a characteristic, culture, or tradition."

1.Which of the following is not a community in the Outaouais?
a) Fort-Coulonge
b) Portage-du-Fort
c) Fort Calumet
d) Fort William

2. In the 1840s, confusion arose due to the existence of two Aylmers – one in Quebec and one in Ontario. One proposal (which was not adopted) was to change the name of Aylmer, Quebec. The proposed new name was…
a) Hull West
b) Vanier
c) Ottawa
d) Toronto

1) c.
2) c.
3) a.
4) b.
5) c.
6) d.
7) a.
8) d.
9) b.
10) b.

References:
Commission de toponymie du Québec, Noms et Lieux du Québec: dictionnaire illustré, 1996.

The Buckingham Historical Society has recently published a revised version of its heritage walking tour of the town of Buckingham. The publication, a fold-out pamphlet,is complete with map and full-colour photographs and descriptions of all thirty-four of the heritage sites on the tour. Sites include churches, commercial and other public buildings, industrial buildings, and private residences.

Philemon Wright and the group of settlers who accompanied him to Hull Township in 1800 intended to farm. Like early colonists in many parts of North America, they believed that once the trees were removed, the land would prove to be excellent for farming. Such hopes were unduly optimistic. Crop yields, satisfactory on freshly cleared fields, soon declined as essential soil nutrients were depleted. Wright surveyed the township into lots and came upon the edge of the Canadian Shield in the third range from the Ottawa River.

(Continued from Part 1)

In 1805, England was in the midst of a war with Napoleon. A French blockade of the Scandinavian countries denied Britain access to its source of timber. Even after the British naval victory at Trafalgar, Napoleon continued to control continental Europe.