Shawville
Walking Tours
The Town Hall
The Museum of the Pontiac
Fort Coulonge The
Stone Houses
The Bryson House
The Marchand Covered Bridge
The Coulonge Falls
Campbell's Bay
Front Street
The Court-house
Waltham
Hydro-Electric Station
Fort William
The Oiseau Rock
Nicabeau
Chapeau
St Alphonse of Liguori
Portage-du-Fort
Pioneer's Home
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Steam Tractor
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Shawville
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Marchand Bridge
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Coulonge Falls
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Bryson House
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Bryson House
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Spruceholme
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St Andrew
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Marchand Bridge
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Marchand Bridge
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Marchand Bridge
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Court-house
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Fort William Beach
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Fort William
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Fort William
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Oiseau Rock
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St Alphonse de Liguori
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The Pontiac is lucky because it has a very rich
architectural and natural history. The log houses, the old farmhouses, and the wooden
fences tell the stories of the first inhabitants of this region, the woodsmen and the
settlers. Each town has its own style. The red brick houses in Shawville, the stone houses
in Portage-du-Fort, the log houses in Nicabeau, and the trading post in Fort William. Each
town is distinctive and that's what brings the past of the Pontiac into the
present.
In the touristic history of Shawville, the walking tours began in 1995.
These tours let you discover the historic sites of the village using the signs and the
brochure which you can get at the information Booth. The tour begins at the Shawville
train station. The track you see today has been transformed into a bike trail but at the
beginning of the century, it was where most supplies of the town arrived. In the winter of
1886, the arrival of the Pontiac Pacific Junction railroad caused the biggest celebration
in all the town's history. On Victoria Avenue, are the two oldest hospitals of Shawville.
On the corner of Lang St., we find the first house of Dr. Powell, which he opened up as a
hospital in 1920. The big house on the north side of the road was also used as a hospital
between the years of 1938 and 1946. The end of the home care services must have been at
the time of the opening of the Pontiac Community Hospital. To the east, you can see the
Exhibition Centre, home of the most important annual event of the Pontiac: The Shawville
Fair. The farmers met in 1856 to found the Agricultural Society of the Pontiac. The
fair continues to grow each year with more than 30 000 visitors during the Labour Day
weekend. A short walk leads to Mill Dam Park where, in 1858, James Hodgins built a grain
and saw mill. For 40 years, that mill served the town, until one autumn night in 1896, a
fire burnt it down. We can still see the ruins of the mill near the picnic tables and the
game area. It was during the first busy decade after the arrival of the railway that the
Main Street took on its present appearance. With the prosperity of this era, new buildings
were erected, like G.F. Hodgins, now known as the Stedman's. The W.A.
Hodgins, on Main
St., has been in the same family for 150 years now. Two grand Victorian
hotels, the
Pontiac House and the Russell House, were fierce competitors on Main St., but
unfortunately, they were the victims of a fire. In general, the commercial core has
maintained good appearance and the social climate that animated it 100 years
ago.
The first meetings of the Clarendon Council were held at the tavern
belonging to Robin McDowell, on the west side of the village. Since they were refreshing
themselves with McDowell's strong drinks, the counselors found themselves in situations
where there was some lack of decorum. The district then decided that the situation would
probably improve if they built a town hall a good mile east of the tavern. The room was
situated where we now find the Memorial Park, and it served its purpose admirably for a
couple of decades. The actual Town Hall was built in 1927 to serve as a post office and a
federal building. The building was given to the town just in time to celebrate the
centennial in 1973.
Settled in the old PPJ train station, the museum of the Pontiac invites
you to learn about the past of this region. There you will find an old classroom from the
beginning of the century, a general store, agricultural machinery, domestic
appliances,
and diverse objects and clothes of a bygone era.
To discover Fort Coulonge, take Principale Street and go towards the
" Chemin Pont Rouge " (Red Bridge Road). This is surely one of the
most interesting places of Fort Coulonge and one of the most beautiful of the whole
Pontiac. On Principale Street, you will see magnificent stone houses and two buildings
that go back to the year 1872, they belonged to the Bryson family. One of
them, the
Spruceholme-Toller has been renovated and converted into a Hotel-Restaurant. This
conversion was done without taking any account of the old time character of the place.
You will also see a small Presbyterian church that was built in 1890,
the generosity of a witness to the Bryson family. If you continue on Pont Rouge Road, you
will see the Marchand covered bridge, and further on, the Bryson House.
The Bryson House, which is after the Marchand bridge, was built
in 1854 by George Bryson (1813-1900). Bryson was a Scottish farmer and wood
merchant,
Mayor of Mansfield, Prefect of the Pontiac Council and legislative counselor, and also
one of the pioneers of the Pontiac Valley. This house is unique in style and resembles the
Scottish houses built by the wood merchants between the years of 1800-1830 in the higher
and lower parts of Canada. A group of buildings, are attached to the main house and placed
around the courtyard. They include a building for the blacksmith, one for the
ice, the
stables, the outhouse and the buildings to store the food. The stone house located to the
south of these buildings was built around 1845 and was used as an office for the Bryson
company. George Bryson, a smart business man, decided to use a farm by the Coulonge River,
to complement his forest industry. The products of the farm were used for the stocking of
his lumberyard. It was from there that George Bryson and his team dominated the economic
activity of the Pontiac region of the 19th century and directed the economic
development in the 20th century.
The Bryson family ware the owners of the whole compound until 1943. It
was renovated in 1982. Today, the place belongs to the municipality of Mansfield and we
can find, among other things, the municipal Library. The little grey house, next to the
other buildings, was erected in 1845. It was used as an office for the Bryson society.
Don't go by Fort Coulonge and miss the Marchand bridge. It has to be
the most beautiful covered bridge in Quebec. It was built in 1898 by Augustus Brown of
Beachburg. It replaces two older bridges that were in the same place on the Coulonge
River. The two bridges were the link between the lumberjack's camp and the village of Fort
Coulonge. Held up by six wooden pillars, it measures about 129 meters. Its the second
longest covered bridge in Quebec. Built entirely out of pine, this "one way"
bridge was covered so that it wouldn't rot. The bridge is still in service and it adds to
the picturesque charm of the river.
On Highway 148, towards Davidson, you will easily find tourist
signs that indicate the way to the Coulonge Falls. The three falls total 48 meters in drop
and the canyon that extends between them is over 1000 meters long. The tour guides will
help you discover the history of the Coulonge Falls, the
walking paths through the wild, the look-out points that offer spectacular views, and the
two bridges above the turbulent falls. A picnic area is also there. In 1840, George Bryson
built a log slide over the Great Falls, but today, all that is left are some pictures. You
will also see an extraordinary display of the architectural heritage of the Pontiac. From
the log houses of the pioneers to the beautiful stone houses, you will get a full
photographic tour.
Front Street
At the turn of the century, Campbell's Bay was an affluent village.
There were a train station, a general store, a post office, a barber shop, a butcher shop,
a bakery, a clothes store, a second-hand store, a hardware store, a saddler, a
blacksmith, and some hotels.
The next couple decades, brought the installation of banks, a
court-house, and saw mills. Most of the commercial and administrative buildings were built
on the main street and only on one side of the road. The other side of the road stayed
empty so that you could have a view on the lower part of the village and the Grand Calumet
Island. Over the years, the road kept its commercial nature and a close resemblance to
what it was in the past, except for the disappearance of the railway and the train
station.
The first court-house was built in Bryson in 1891. A great fire
destroyed most of Bryson in 1914. The new court-house was erected in Campbell's Bay in
1917, so that it could serve the Pontiac. The prison that was built in the back was closed
in 1970, and demolished down in 1990.
Only one hanging took place, that of Michael Bradley. He was condemned
in 1935 for the murder of five members of his family.
This building, with its imposing architecture, its woodwork, and its
white pillars is open to the public, make a reservation to visit from Monday to Friday,
8:30am to 4:30pm.
The district of the Pontiac still has an active sheriff, who is named
by the Minister of Justice.
The Waltham
Hydro-Electric Station
This station is considered to be the oldest private commercial
hydro-electric station in North America. It is situated at the mouth of the Black River.
The property of Hydro-Pontiac, it gives electricity to the neighbouring villages as well
as to the town of Pembroke. The station has been doing this since the beginning of the
century, or more precisely, since 1918! It is open for visitors all year round, make a
reservation by calling (819)689-5226.
Fort William, its beaches and its
trading post
You will probably take time to go to visit Fort William and its
beaches. On the way, you will discover the small village of Sheenboro, which looks as if
it was some lost corner of Ireland. The store and the hotel, both built in 1870
still exist. Another store that was built in 1907 still serves the public. After the first
church was destroyed by a fire, St Paul the Hermit became the new church in 1872. Next you
will then arrive at Fort William which is a historical site. It was a trading post built
by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1829. It played an important role in the fur industry.
During the establishment of the post office in 1848, Allumettes Lake changed its name to
Fort William in memory of William McGillvery, the first postmaster. Today, we can still
see the postman's house, the blacksmith's workshop, and the church. The Hudson's Bay
Company stopped its activities in Fort William in 1869. Now, the area is known for the
beauty of its beaches.
For those who want to discover the Pontiac through its waterway, a stop
at Oiseau Rock is the place to find a magnificent
view and learn about its thousands of years of history. Upstream from Fort William, you
will find a cliff that rises 152 meters from the Ottawa River. Paintings that were there
from the time of the natives can be seen. Unfortunately graffiti has damaged the
site. There is a beach where you can drop anchor, and it there are picnic tables for your
pleasure. There is a path that leads to the top of the cliff, so that you can go up and
admire the beauty all around you. There is a Native legend that says that a baby fell off
the cliff but was saved by an eagle, and that's why this place is called Oiseau Rock (le
Rocher de l'Oiseau).
Thirteen kilometers away from Chapeau, the village of Nicabeau knows
how to defy time with its wooden houses that are whitened with limestone. A century ago,
they were built by the forest industry and were placed symmetrically along one road. They
lasted and are still in very good condition today, except that a tornado destroyed a
couple of them.
Architectural and art enthusiasts will have a treat.
St-Alphonse-de-Liguori Church is magnificent and even the most blase person will be
amazed. The church has the famous Casavant organ, beautiful stained-glass windows, and
elegant sculptures. There is sculpted apostolic see, imported from France, a replica of
the one at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. The Church was built to be the cathedral for
the new diocese, but it never was. The church can be visited every day from 8am to 7:30pm.
The origin of the name Portage-du-Fort in uncertain because we don't
know if there was a fort in that area. They say that the name came from the fact
that people had to portage in that area so that they could get to the Fort of Coulonge, or
that the portage at that area had to be done by a strong man.
Strolling through the streets of Portage-du-Fort, it is hard to
imagine this village's prosperity during the last century, when the steam boats stopped at
the docks.
Furs, then wood and stone once enriched the town. It was, for a
long time, the principal commercial centre of the region. Flour mills, saw mills,
quarries, many things lead to making this town, the centre of the Pontiac.
Commerce and the transportation of passengers and goods was done by the river,
using the graceful and majestic steamboat. The arrival of the railway, in 1887, was the
bell tolling the end to the development of the town. The line bypassed
Portage-du-Fort and created of a new direction for transportation, in which Shawville was
the centre. In 1914, the injustice to the town was repaired. The arrival of the Northern
Canadian, which installed a railway line near the town, created a new economic beginning.
Unfortunately, a terrible fire destroyed 80% of the town in May of 1914. Some stone houses
survived the fire because of the thickness of their walls, like the Usborne House, for
example. You can still admire the Usborne Depot, the Town Hall, the catholic and
Protestant churches, as well as the Usborne, Fox, and Purvis homes. The Reid home, also
known as the Château Pontiac (Pontiac Castle), will certainly impress you. The grey
limestone on these buildings adds to the particular style of the village. You can cross
the river on the set of dams that were installed over the strong rapids that are
responsible for the town's existence. The view is magnificent. The mixture of rocks,
bubbling water, and coniferous trees is absolutely splendid. |
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