Carillon, Hawkesbury and L’Orignal – Exploring Ontario’s Old Seigneurie
Tucked in along the Ottawa River between the metropolis of Montreal and the quaint capital city of Ottawa is a region of Canada so bilingual, that the old stock French residents interchange greeting and languages within a single sentence. The venerable patch of earth is located far away from all of the action of the city and is often overlooked by tourists, especially the quaint town of L’Orignal, home to Ontario’s (Upper Canada) only patch of land under the the Seigniorial System, then called la Seigneurie de la Pointe-à-l’Orignal. Welcome the the old French backyard of English Ontario.
In this post the following towns will be covered:
- Carillon / Pointe Fortune (Quebec)
- Hawkesbury (Ontario)
- L’Orignal (Ontario)
Table of Contents
Carillon – Pointe Fortune
Strangling the river is the twin towns of Carillon-Pointe Fortune with the former located on the north side of the Ottawa River and the former on the south side. Here you will find the Carillon hydroelectric generating station planed in the 1950’s and constructed in 1964. This massive endeavor flooded the upstream part of the river (19m (62 ft) at Carillon and over 2.7m (9 ft) at Hawkesbury). This inundated Long-Sault Rapids, thus making navigation easier.
The town got its start with the establishment of the La Seignerie de Rideau in 1732. The town later become a fur trading post in the 1750’s before transitioning to a logistics center during the 19th century at the arrival of the railway.
On the north side of the river you will find the Carillon Canal, an important bypass for the Long Sault rapids that existed here before the construction of the dam, while on the south side you will find the Macdonell-Williamson House. It is this humble museum that you will receive an insight into the local history of the area. The stone home was constructed in 1813 by the fur trader John Macdonell, who turned it into a building for his milling, general merchandising, warehousing and freight-forwarding business. It was later purchased by William Williamson (1882), who was an important placer in Montreal’s lumber scene. With the opening of the railroad Williamson could tend to his business in Montreal.
The railway and waterway was not only important to the Macdonell-Williamson’s however. Pointe-Fortune/Carillon was an important shipping hub for nearby cities such as Rigaud.
While driving along the riverfront you will find many old stone homes, with a French Canadian architectural style not often found in this part of Ontario/Quebec.
Hawkesbury
The largest city in this part of Ontario, the big Hawk was a pulp and paper town though and through. Founded by two American entrepreneurs, Thomas Mears and David Pattee, the town developed around a sawmill conceived in 1805. The demand for timber for the Napoleonic Wars kept the town growing, eventually becoming a center of other industries such as glass and textiles. Much of the town was submurged by the construction of the previously mentioned carillon Canal. Much of the population is french Canadian and is strongly linked with communities on the Quebec side of the river.
Although Hawksbury has a nice church there is little to see in town.
To learn more about the settlement take the Long Sault bridge to nearby Chenail Island, derived from the term Chenaille Escarté” (lost channel) by the French-Canadian settlers to the region. The island is now a public park with a view of the Ottawa River as well as a piknik area. To the north you will find the Quebec town of Grenville with its important canal, the silhouette of its church spire rising above the tree line and to the west Hamilton Island.
Hamilton island is closely linked with the development of the settlement of Hawkesbury as well as Chenail Island itself. The first gristmills and sawmills were built on that island. This island would develop into a larger mill complex, then known as Hawkesbury (or sometimes Hamilton Mills), the name the village would then take on. At its peak during the 19th century, it was the largest sawmill in Canada employing over 1000 people.
This commercial activity spilled over to Chenail, where offices of the mill were subsequently built. This was built up into the original the original town center of Hawkesbury but it decline dafter a fire destroyed the mill complex in 1925. Most of the island and its buildings were wiped out by the construction of the Carillon Dam. Today only one building of the original mill complex still stands, the stone building transformed into an arts chub.
In front of it you will find a monument of a giant hand. This symbol of inter-provincial friendship celebrates the linking of the two provinces in friendship through the bridge and the gateway town of Hawkesbury.
L’Orignal
Just east of Hakesbury you will find a town sporting what I would describe as the funnest city name in Canada, L’Orignal which translates to “The Moose”. The quirky canadiana type name has a rather mundane origin being named after a moose that was found hanging out at the nearby point in 1812.
Originally planned as part of the old Seigniorial land of Pointe-à-L’Orignal, gifted to François Provost in 1674, it occupies the distinction of being one of only two such seigniorial systems granted by the king of France in what was later to be English Upper Canada (Ontario) before it was ceded to Great Britain in 1763 (The British had a private property approach to land, and as such, their ascendance put an end to the seigniorial system in the New World). The arrival of the American Nathaniel Treadwell would transform the area, as he purchased the large track of land from the Seigneur and built a sawmill here encouraging the growth of the settlement you see today.
One of the most recognizable buildings in town is the stone built St. Andrew’s Church church dating from 1832. The site for the church was donated by the old Seigneur and served the Scottish congregations of Hawekesbuty and l’Orignal.
Across the street from this church you will find a massive justice complex. This was constructed due to the fact that L’Orignal was chosen as the lead town of the Ottawa District in 1816. It is hard to imagine that this little hamlet was once more important then Bytown, the previous name of the city of Ottawa now the largest city in Eastern Ontario, but one has to remember that Bytown was incorporated as a town until 1826.
One of the most important buildings in this complex is the Ottawa District Courthouse, built in 1825. Unlike many of the surrounding buildings, it the stone beauty is still in use today.
In behind it you can find the Original Jailhouse. Dating from 1825, it is the oldest jail in Ontario and the second oldest in Canada. This one could say that this imposing stone building has seen a few hangings in its day. In the summer you can take a tour of the facility as well in participate in events such as an escape room. For more information on events held at the jail click here.
L’Orignal Parish was established in 1836, becoming the first Catholic parish in Prescott County. We had already mentioned the Scottish church, but the more impressive French church – La Paroisse Saint-Jean-Baptiste – is located next to the jail. This replaced a smaller structure serving the french catholic community and dates from 1854.
Clustered around the justice complex is a collection of heritage homes built by the town’s most prominent members.
Back the front of the provincial street you will find king street. Here you will find a collection of grand homes that have mostly been transformed into law offices, for the towns main industry – the legal one! There were once three hotels in town, all on King Street.
If you are interested you can also head down the street to get a closer look at the buildings and their corresponding heritage plaques.
Here are a few more pictures for the road!
Before you leave the banks of the Ottawa River, take the time to catch a sunset along it. It is absolutely stunning!
