Low Down Articles
GVHS Related
This article first appeared in the "GVHS Related" column of the "The Low Down to Hull and Back News". Reprinted with permission. See list of GVHS Related articles or search Low Down Articles.
o o o
Up the Gatineau: first dates and lightning strikes
By Madeline Kerr
The comfort of a familiar chair at the old Paugan Inn, the anxiety of a first date in Martindale, the pride of sustaining a generations-old family business in Masham, the excitement of the last cattle drive in Wakefield, and the triumph of preserving the rural character of Cantley. These are just a few of the human emotions captured in the Gatineau Valley Historical Society’s (GVHS) upcoming publication of ‘Up the Gatineau!’ vol. 52.
Every spring since 1974 the GVHS has published a collection of articles and stories relating to the history of the Gatineau region. The latest edition will be released on June 13. Longtime editor Louise Schwartz kindly shared an advance copy with the Low Down.
Like the 51 volumes that came before, this ‘Up the Gatineau!’ contains thoroughly researched and compellingly written local histories. It is also chock-full of illustrative maps and photos – both historical and recent.
It contains the last story published by celebrated local author Brian Doyle before his death on Jan. 1 this year.
That story, titled ‘The Chaperone,’ is told from the perspective of a young narrator accompanying an older relation as he “went to court one of the Gannon Girls in the fall of 1943.” It’s full of Doyle’s usual wit, keen observations and understated humour.
Other highlights include a fascinating exploration of historical windows throughout the region by Cynthia Gunn, who takes her reader on a tour of the Hills via antique glass and window sashes.
“A walk along Chemin Burnside in Wakefield rewards you with numerous buildings where the stewards have retained the original windows,” Gunn writes.
Gunn’s article pairs nicely with another written by Tina Therrien, who recounts the long history of l’Atalier Martineau in Masham. Current owner Lucile Martineau is the granddaughter of the entrepreneurial Jean-Baptiste Martineau, whose family arrived in New France in the early 1660s.
Since 1911, the Martineau family were responsible for building many of the historical windows that Gunn enthuses about in her article.
In another article, Therrien recounts the origins of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Fieldville. One tidbit from that tale: The original church was built in 1915 but was struck by lightning and burned to the ground in 1922 (it was later rebuilt – the parishioners obviously didn’t see the lightning strike as a divine judgement).
Other institutional histories include a retelling of the community efforts to open a hospice in Wakefield, written by one of La Maison des Collines’ founding members, former Chelsea mayor André Renaud. There seems to be something for almost everyone in this volume of ‘Up the Gatineau!’ For animal lovers, there’s an ode to the humble oxen – “the Gatineau Valley’s forgotten ‘workhorse,’” according to author D. Jeffrey Brown – and a lively recounting of the last cattle drive in Wakefield, as told by Randy Kidder. And for geology buffs, Les White describes how thousands of years of glacial movements shaped the land we know as the Gatineau Valley today. White reveals the staggering fact that seals and whales once swam through the landscape 12,000 years ago when this area was still under the long-gone Champlain Sea.
Other revelations in this volume include the fact that the small, sleepy village of Low was once, briefly, a bustling centre with a population of thousands. That’s according to Don Kealey’s accounts of growing up near the Paugan Dam.
Another surprising fact: Cantley once had a “phantom mayor.” That’s according to Margaret Phillips’ history of Cantley’s “birth” in 1889 and “rebirth” in 1989.
Her article sheds light on what she calls the municipality’s “confusing political past.” Phillips details how Cantley citizens successfully separated from Gatineau after an unhappy 13-year merger in the 1970s and ‘80s.
The 52nd edition of ‘Up the Gatineau!’ ends on a gentle note. The final piece in the collection is a short musing by Kitigan Zibi author and poet Albert Dumont, who writes, “Nowhere that I know of is the beauty of nature more spectacular than what I see in autumn, up the Gatineau!”
‘Up the Gatineau!’ vol. 52 will be available for purchase at a number of locations in the region and can also be purchased by contacting publications@gvhs.ca.