Welcome to the Gatineau Valley Historical Society

Founded in 1962, the Gatineau Valley Historical Society promotes matters of historical or heritage significance in the general area of the Gatineau Valley in Quebec. Browse this site for news on our upcoming events and publications. Access our content-rich resources including newspaper and other articles on local history, historic photos, maps and oral history.

GVHS Upcoming Events - see also in the latest GVHS Newsletter
2012: A Year of Celebration

Annual Dinner and Awards Evening
Celebrating 50 years of GVHS with special guests, displays & presentations!
Monday May 28, 2012
5:30 p.m. for cocktails with dinner at 6:30 p.m.
Camp Fortune, Main Lodge, Chelsea
$35.00 per person
Please contact Shirley Brown before May 23rd at browncrest@sympatico.ca
or 819-827-1999 to reserve your spot.

Gatineau River Heritage Paddle
Sunday June 10, 10:30 a.m. from Wakefield
or other access points along the river
Explore the rich heritage of the Gatineau River by canoe or kayak in celebration of Canadian Rivers Day. Take a self-guided tour of the historic and natural highlights of the route, using an interpretive guide to be available before the event. Kick off from Wakefield at 10:30 a.m., or later from three other access points on the west and east shores. The day will end at the historic La Grange de la Gatineau in Cantley with a raftsmen-style BBQ served at 3:30 p.m. Period costumes are encouraged!
At the Grange from 1 p.m. on, paddlers and non-paddlers alike can enjoy displays of historic Gatineau River photos and maps, traditional logging tools, and the "Sacred River: A short history of the river" artistic exhibit. Multi-media artists from "L'art de l'ordinaire" will also be participating. Biologists will be present for a naturalist tour of nearby Phillips' Island.
This is a family event organized by Friends of the Gatineau River in collaboration with the Gatineau Valley Historical Society, Cantley 1889, La Grange de la Gatineau and Nature Chelsea. Further details and maps will be posted shortly. Email questions to ontheriver@fog-arg.org.

Vintage Wings of Canada Tour
Saturday, June 16 at 2:00 p.m.
Gatineau Airport, Gatineau
Tour space is limited, for information or to reserve
a spot please contact Bob McClelland,
at mccfarm@magma.ca or 819 827-0540.

Additional events - details to follow:

Saturday, August 18 - 49th Annual Auction of Antiques and Collectibles - St. Stephen's Church, Old Chelsea.

Monday, September 10 - History of the Gatineau River Yacht Club, a joint meeting & BBQ at the Yacht Club to celebrate our 50th anniversaries.

Monday, October 15 - Bill Mason: Filmmaker, Artist & Canoeist (1929-1988) with speaker Ken Buck at the Chelsea Library.

Sunday, November 11 - Remembrance Day Ceremony, Chelsea Cenotaph, Chelsea.

Monday, November 19 - War of 1812 with speaker Vic Suthren at the Meredith Centre, Chelsea.

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Other News

Sandy Hill Heritage House and Garden Tour
Friday June 8 and Saturday June 9
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Laurentian Chapter IODE invites you to 9 open houses including the fabulous renovation of a stylish 1920s house, two lofty apartments in the stylish Wallis House (the old Protestant Hospital), the Polish embassy complete with wine cellar, a fabulous Victorian terrace. History buffs will enjoy being invited into Besserer House, one of the oldest buildings in Ottawa and home of the original land-owner in Sandy Hill. The former home of Senator Cairine Wilson (first female senator) takes us back to the famous Persons Case in 1929. Verdier House offers an unusual collection of old armour and historical oddities. Senator Landon Pearson, heritage renovator Sandy Smallwood and Michel Prévost, Archivist of the University of Ottawa will be there at certain times during the tour to answer questions and chat with visitors about everything from the significance of the Persons Case to the francophone presence in Sandy Hill. For tickets and more information see laurentian.iode.ca/house-garden-tour-2012.

The Miracle of the Hudson at Sainte Cécile de Masham
Read about the true story of a Lochheed Hudson bomber lost in a stormy sky in 1941, and its unlikely landing in the village of Ste Cécile de Masham. The GVHS's own Linda Bardell was one of those Gatineau Valley residents involved in solving the puzzle around this story, as was retired dairy farmer Doug Nesbitt and Black Sheep Inn owner Paul Symes. Vintage Wings of Canada has posted the story on the Vintage News section of its website.

 

Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network Events
For a list of heritage association events in Quebec, see Heritage Line available on the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network site.

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Recent Events

Historic Walk in Gatineau Park with Katharine Fletcher

On Saturday April 28, and Sunday April 29, 32 Society members were treated to an expert tour of the Gatineau Park trail to the ruins of Thomas "Carbide" Willson's superphospate fertilizer plant at Meach Lake.
Local author Katharine Fletcher, led participants with a narration that synthesized historical facts, stories of human character, and of the ephemeral nature of both the built and natural worlds. Participants were given a sense of both the hardships and physical challenges involved in settling in frontier areas, and of the peacefulness that drew them Meach Lake. Along the way our discussions ranged from wildflowers and bear claws on beech trees, to the challenges in preserving and managing the heritage and natural resources of Gatineau Park.
Katharine is the author of Historical Walks: The Gatineau Park Story, which was initially published with assistance from the Society in 1988, so it was our great pleasure to re-connect with Katharine and to recognize her long-time support for the GVHS during our 50th Anniversary year. See photos of the event on flickr.

History of the Larrimac Golf Club with Larry Dufour

On April 23, GVHS members and friends listened intently to Larry Dufour's recounting of the 85-plus year history of the Larrimac Golf Club. Dufour, a life member, former President and manager of the club walked the crowd through highlights of the club's founding and other memorable events over the years, complemented by a slide show of historic photos. As well, several club members brought in some of their own memorabilia to share, and the club's newly-polished golf and tennis trophies were on display, many dating back to the 1930s and 40s.

 

The Great River Project with Ottawa Riverkeeper Meredith Brown

On March 19, 2012, the Ottawa Riverkeeper Meredith Brown shared her slide show about the Great River Project from the summer of 2011. She enthralled the large crowd in attendance with her engaging account of the people and places encountered by her team of scientists, naturalists, historians and photographers on their 900 km canoe trip down the Ottawa River. During this trip, she and her team documented the state of the river and explored its cultural heritage. The talk took place in the Great Hall at the new Wakefield-La Pêche Community Centre.

2012 Archives Open House and Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Over 50 GVHS members and friends crowded the lower level of the Chelsea Library on February 20 to hear President Marc Cockburn talk about the GVHS's accomplishments over the past 50 years. The AGM was held, reports were tabled and discussed, the new 2012 executive elected, and a motion was passed to rename the Society archives the Pat Evans Archives of the Gatineau Valley Historical Society.

Special 50th anniversary lapel pins were awarded to the 2012 Executive, to the Archives volunteers, and to members Richard Hofer (for his cemetery work), to Beatrice O'Byrne and Samuel Corriveau-Lambert of Chelsea Library (for the library's support of the GVHS) and to former GVHS director, Fergus Maclaren. Marc Cockburn with Erik Rask then highlighted some of the major changes and additions to the content-rich GVHS website, including the new Pat Evans Corner, as well as a selection of some of the new acquisitions of historic photos received over the past year. Marc's slideshow can be seen in the GVHS Presentations and photos of the event are available on Flickr.

Rene Neilson provided a special treat in the form of a 50th anniversary carrot cake while members browsed a small sampling of panoramas of local historic scenes, Scout logbooks created by Pat Evans, Maps of the Gatineau Valley, and other archives' treasures.

50th Anniversary Celebration Kick-Off

An enthusiastic group of about 75 GVHS members and friends gathered at the historic Wakefield Mill on January 16 to kick off 2012 - the 50th anniversary year for the Gatineau Valley Historical Society. MC Michael Cooper, co-president of the Fairbairn House Heritage Centre, welcomed all and encouraged bidding on the silent auction, a fund-raiser for Fairbairn's renovation. GVHS President, Marc Cockburn also spoke, revealing a special anniversary pin to be presented to those who have contributed to the success of the GVHS over the years. The first three recipients of the pins were Anita Rutledge, Norma Geggie, and Michael Cooper. Musician Gail Gavan and her band entertained the crowd with traditional and country songs from the Ottawa Valley. See photos of the event on flickr.

See event archive for additional past events.

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