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.

New to the GVHS

Historical Panoramas
Restored historical pictures and panoramas from the GVHS Image Bank available for sale in laminated formats.

100 Objects
See QAHN's Significant Objects for Telling Identity (SOFTI): English Quebec through 100 Cultural Artefacts and the GVHS contribution of the Broad Axe.

GVHS reference library
Visit our reference library in the GVHS archives during opening hours and browse through books about the Gatineau Valley. See also our recent acquisitions.

Gatineau River Heritage Paddle: A Guide
The Second Edition of the interpretive guide to historic landmarks and points of interest on the Gatineau River.

Web version Heritage Paddle Guide
An interpretive guide to historic landmarks and points of interest on the Gatineau River.

Ottawa Ski Club Newsletter Archive
Browse our Ottawa Ski Club Newsletter archive and a short history created and transferred to us thanks to Gatineau Park enthusiast, Charles Hodgson.

Tom McLaughlin
Newly-added columns about life in the Valley in the 1930s.

Cantley 1889
Cantley 1889 is a new organization established to discover, catalogue, protect and Cantley's past. They have established a new web site to communicate their work and events.

Maps
A number of early maps of the Gatineau Valley have been collected and made available in large scale digital format.

Search Low Down Articles
A search function has been added to the Low Down Articles. These articles consists of The Way We Were, Valley Lives, Houses of the Gatineau Hills, Spirit of Place, In the Hills, Artist Profiles, Other Articles and Echoes from the Past.

Search Image Bank
The online Image Bank now has more than 1000 images for you to search and look at. See Image Bank for more information. As well, you can access the Newsletter archive with issues dating back to the founding of the GVHS.

GVHS Upcoming Events
See current GVHS Newsletter Number 2013 - 02, May-August 2013

GVHS Annual Dinner at the Wakefield Mill
Monday, May 27, 2013
Moulin Wakefield Mill, 60 Chemin Mill Road Wakefield, Quebec, J0X 3G0
$35.00 per person (includes taxes), Bar open 5:00 p.m. - Dinner 5:30 p.m.
Awards, Up the Gatineau! Launch.
A presentation by Mill co-owner Lynne Berthiaume on the preservation of the mill on the occasion of its 175th anniversary.
Please contact Shirley Brown by May 23rd at browncrest@sympatico.ca or 819-827-1999 to reserve your place or reserve on-line - Click here.
Note: Since we must pre-pay for the number of diners, please let Shirley know by May 23 if you have reserved & can not attend.

Re-visiting Rupert Village circa 1900
Rupert Saturday, June 15, 2013 from 1:30 - 3:30
At the end of the 19th century Rupert was a thriving community with two churches, a school, stores, cheese factories, a sawmill, and a blacksmith shop, all surrounded by numerous family farms.
Take a tour of this hamlet to discover the heritage buildings which remain from that era, and learn where other significant landmarks were located.
Barbara Rielly will lead a tour of the Rielly Cemetery, which dates to circa 1853. Barbara and a volunteer team have worked hard to tell the story of this hill top cemetery, which for years was largely forgotten even though it is the final resting place for approximately 100 pioneers.
More details to follow.

50th Annual Live Auction, Silent Auction, Bake Sale and Flea Market
Auction Saturday August 17, 9 am - 1 pm
165 Old Chelsea Road, Old Chelsea QC
With Auctioneer Revel Stewart
We need your antiques and collectables. Bring your items to Hendrick Farm on Friday August 16th 2:00 - 8:00 pm. Viewing: Friday, August 16th 5:00-8:00 pm and Saturday August 17th 8:00-9:00 am.
Contact RJ Hughes for more information - 819-827-3766 rjchelsea@yahoo.ca or Marc Cockburn - 819-459-2004 cockburn.marc@gmail.com
See poster for more information.

Other News

New Publication of interest to GVHS members
Historic Churches of the Ottawa Valley by Alan H. Bentley - $25 - see press release.
The recently-published Historic Churches of the Ottawa Valley is Alan H. Bentley's illustrated account of many of the historic brick, stone, and wooden churches found in Ottawa and its surrounding communities. It's an interesting snapshot of the early beginnings of these churches.
The book can be purchased locally at the Earle Pub in Wakefield or can be ordered from Alan H Bentley at 51 Midland Crescent Ottawa ON K2H 8N2. He can be reached by email at alanbettybent@rogers.com. It's also available from the publisher, General Store Publishing House at www.gsph.com.

Recent Events

What Lies Beneath: Cantley before the great flood

On April 15, more than 110 people visited La Grange de la Gatineau to experience an amazing journey through time in talk held jointly with Cantley 1889. Marc Cockburn, GVHS president, used Google Earth and archival photos and maps to reconstruct how the river looked before much of its natural and built environment was flooded in 1927, with the construction of the hydro dams at Chelsea and Farmer's Rapids.

The Babbling River: The Gatineau Valley in Verse and Song with Phil Jenkins
On March 18, author and songwriter Phil Jenkins entertained GVHS members and friends in a special evening of poetry readings and songs, which he titled "The Babbling River: The Gatineau Valley in Verse and Song."

Talk on the Early Days of Skiing in Gatineau Park with Charles Hodgson

A keen crowd of about 75 members and friends packed the lower level of the Chelsea Library on February 18 2013 to hear guest speaker Charles Hodgson talk about early skiing in Gatineau Park. Charles' talk was complemented with a slideshow of historic skiing photos, early trail maps, and excerpts from early Ottawa Ski Club newsletters. There was a lively discussion with the audience, many of whom were skiing enthusiasts, including one former Trail Rider and another long time skier who recalled working as a youth in the 1940s at one of the many Park lodges. The talk was preceded by the Annual General Meeting and an Archives Open House.

November Talk on the War of 1812

Vic Suthren, the former head of the Canadian War Museum, addressed GVHS members and friends on Monday, November 19, 2012 at the Meredith Centre in Old Chelsea. His talk to an interested audience of about forty was on the War of 1812, which he called "the war no one wanted." Wearing period dress, he also demonstrated the use of some replica artifacts such as a musket. This was the last talk of 2012 for the Society's 50th anniversary year. See photos on flickr.

Remembrance Day Ceremony 2012

Under dull skies, Chelsea residents gathered on Sunday November 11 at the Chelsea Cenotaph to participate in Remembrance Day ceremonies. Participants included troops from a Canadian Regiment from Petawawa and the Canadian Forces Health Services Centre, Ottawa, representatives from local Chelsea churches, and local politicians and officials including MP Mathieu Ravignat, MNA Stephanie Vallée, and Chelsea Mayor Caryl Green. Led by GVHS President Marc Cockburn, the program included prayers, the Last Post, the placing of wreaths, a poem read by Chelsea Elementary School youth and a hymn sung by the Chelsea Youth Choir.
For the second year, Vintage Wings of Canada arranged a flypast, with three vintage aircraft swooping along the Gatineau Valley, over villages and towns including Danford Lake, Kazabazua, Low, Venosta, Wakefield and Chelsea. Their story called "Up the Valley of Remembrance on Yellow Wings" can be read on their website under "Vintage News".

Talk on Filmmaker and Artist Bill Mason (1929-1988)
Almost 100 GVHS members and friends packed the Chelsea Library on October 15 to hear Ken Buck's talk on his long-time friend, the award-winning filmmaker and artist Bill Mason. Ken, who first met Bill when he moved to Meech Lake Road in the late 1960s with his wife Sue, gave the audience a personal perspective of Bill as a friend and neighbour. He highlighted Bill's energy, enthusiasm, sense of humour and spirituality, through anecdotes and a slide show. The slides included family photos, as well as some of Bill's many hand-drawn cartoon-style greeting cards. See more photos on our flickr account.

See event archive for additional past events.

Browse images from Gatineau Valley Historical Society events

Want to contribute? Become a member? Contact us at info@gvhs.ca or any member of the GVHS Executive.