History
Historical Facts – Great Gatineau River Festival
GRASSOUILLET - Gatineau river - WAKEFIELD - Cantley
INITIAL IDEA FOR THE FESTIVAL
During the summer of 2006, the Lacroix-Rouleau family moved to Cantley, a 5 minute walk to an unknown beach on the Gatineau River, right next to the Mary Anne Phillips Park. In the following weeks, we would visit this beach to swim, read, build sandcastles and to remove logs[1] that had spent decades in the water in order to make swimming safer.
During one of our really nice summer days, we met a couple… after introductions are made and general chit chat, Guy (I am the one telling you this story, I am married to Michelle Lacroix and the father of Véronique, Amélie and Gabriel) asks the couple: « How far up can we go on the river? » The father replies: « All the way up to Wakefield! » Surprised, I asked: « Are there any rapids and if so, at what distance? » he politely answers: « It takes around 3 to 4 hours paddling a canoe and the river is as calm as a lake. » Without even knowing it, this was the beginning of very big adventure…
During another excursion to the beach, I share my vision of a canoe run down the river with family and friends. An excellent occasion to spend quality time together enjoying spectacular scenery. Everyone loves this idea, so I share this with my friends and family. Everyone has the same reaction so I also share the idea with the municipalities of Cantley and La Pêche. Everyone has the same enthusiasm. On January 21st, the first planning meeting was held with about a dozen participants. You can feel the energy and ideas are flowing; this is the start of the Festival!
To all of you leaders in the dark, express your ideas and your dreams, and they will become reality to those wishing to hear them. Ideas and dreams will remain unless they are expressed. Integrity, respect and innovation are the principles by which I live on a daily basis. What are yours? Don’t forget a big dose of perseverance with that!!
A big thanks to all those who contribute to this Festival, without them, I would never have written those lines and made this dream come true!
Guy Rouleau Founder President Great Gatineau River Festival
[1]Logs: short sections of tree trunks approximately 4 feet long (1.22meters) without branches which were floated on the river towards the Gatineau, Hull and Ottawa mills.
Grassouillet
You may be wondering where this cute little duck comes from? It is a little fluffy toy measuring about 10cm given to Gabriel Rouleau (son of the President and founder, Mr. Guy Rouleau) during a garage sale in 2003. The woman trying to sell it fell under the spell of this little 4 year old boy that wanted the fluffy duck. Gabriel named this duck Grassouillet - as simple as that!!
Looking for a logo for the festival and after a meeting with the organizing committee, the idea that Grassouillet would become our logo and mascot was voted unanimously. Our Graphic Designer, Nathalie Blanchard, put her personal touches, and this is the final product …. Nice work Nat!
Come and meet Grassouillet at the official site of the Festival; Gabriel will gladly show him off.
Gatineau River
We all know Samuel de Champlain, the explorer and founder of Québec City. But were you aware that Champlain was the first to discover the existence of the Gatineau River? However Champlain had not named the River at the time of discovery.
Several trappers and explorers from the XVII and XVIII centuries bordered the shores but at no time was a name ever mentioned. Did the Gatineau River go without a name for over two centuries? Probably not, since this part of the country was occupied by the Algonquin Nation who called the river Madôbadzouk, Nàgàtinong and Agatinung. Some believe that the name Gatineau is a derivative. This hypothesis is based on the different pronunciations like Gatineau.
There is another hypothesis, the one from Nicolas Gatineau, a French soldier living in Nouvelle-France who is believed to have drowned in the river. The name originates from which one of these two hypotheses? No one knows. The debate is still on.
Rafting began at the beginning of the 19th century on the Gatineau River. This method favoured the transportation of hundreds of thousands of logs[1] that remained in the river for over two hundred years.
Wakefield
The village of Wakefield was founded in 1830 by Irish, Scottish and English immigrants. The village in West Yorkshire England bears the same name.
In 1838, William Fairbain began the construction of a mill which was later be used to make flour out of the local wheat for the farmers and families from around. Mr. Fairbain sold the mill several years later to James Maclaren. Mr. Maclaren expanded the mill by adding a sawmill, a mill used for fur trade and a general store.
The building was destroyed by a fire in 1910. The following year, James MacLaren rebuilt the mill but discontinued the fur trade operations. The MacLaren mill continued it’s operations up until 1939. From 1939-1980, the mill was used for grinding. The mill produced meat to feed local families. In the aftermath, it was used a museum created by the Historical Society of Gatineau. Year 2000 brings a lot of changes. The mill became a Inn/Spa/Conference Centre. The MacLaren cemetery is a cemetery of pioneers. But most importantly, it is the place where Lester B. Pearson, the ex-Prime-Minister, was buried.
The covered bridge that was built in 1915 was later destroyed by a fire in 1984. The bridge was one of the first to join both shores of the Gatineau River.
2007 marks the century for the locomotive 909 (steam train). This steam train comes from Europe and is the last of the steam trains in circulation in Canada. It was the ninth locomotive built in the 900 series by Statens Jänvägras. During the cold war, the locomotive 909, along with several other working steam locomotives, were stored by the Swedish government fearing an enemy attack that would paralyze its electric railway system. The 909 was stored in a barn until 1988. In order to preserve the steam train, it was wrapped in a plastic tarp to protect it from the humidity.
The crossing from Sweden to Canada was eventful. A storm had the captain fearing the worst, even the loss of the cargo. The locomotives were placed in the hold with the 9 cars on deck.
Cantley
The city of Cantley was founded by Irish or English immigrants around 1830. Colonel Cantley, a British army officer, is reported to have fought in the War of 1812 and apparently to have remained in the colony until Colonel By called upon him to help build the Rideau Canal in 1826. We do not know the date of his arrival in Cantley, but it was reportedly in the early 1830s that he settled with his former batman and later a blacksmith, a man called Johnston who lived on lot 9b, range XIV. The area was then known as the Hamilton Neighbourhood, presumably after the family of William Hamilton who took the first census of Hull Township in 1842. The Cantley/Johnston house was to become part of the farm of James McClelland in the 1840s. It was here that Colonel Cantley is said to have died. His unmarked grave is reputed to be in the McClelland orchard. Unfortunately, the precise burial place is unknown. Colonel Cantley’s name was preserved in the naming of Cantley’s first post office in 1857. Interestingly, the first postmaster of Cantley was the William Hamilton whose name had previously been attached to the community.
Colonel Cantley, a British army officer, is reported to have fought in the War of 1812 and apparently to have remained in the colony until Colonel By (founder of ByTown known today as Ottawa) called upon him to help build the Rideau Canal in 1826. Closer to the end of construction at the beginning of the 1830s, Colonel By gave Crown land in appreciation to some of his most valuable assistants. One of them was said to have been given a large tract on the East side of the lower Gatineau River. The seniority of Colonel Cantley among By’s most senior lieutenants would suggest that this was then considered a special place. This land became Cantley.
Cantley’s fame must have spread quickly, for the 1840s saw a steady influx of new settlers, mostly Irish Catholic. The legend of Cantley (hidden beach) spread by the Algonquins to the Irish, then transmitted to the French, who as of this day recounts the legend. There are no documents proving the existence of a mysterious beach. Some believe that this beach was flooded by the hydro-electric dam.
AUTHOR’S NOTES
Historical texts are based on information found on the Web.