Mattawa – Three Crosses Where the Rivers Meet

July 10, 2023 by admin

Big Joe Mufferaw paddled into Mattawa

All the way from Ottawa in just one day
Big Joe Mufferaw, Stompin’ Tom Connors

The above chunk of lyric was taken from the Stompin’ Tom Conners song Big Joe Mufferaw, about the legendary French Canadian folk hero Joseph Montferrand – a man with a connection to the Ottawa River as well as the town of Mattawa itself. The small settlement stands at a scenic hillside area at the confluence of the Ottawa and Nipping Rivers and derives from the aboriginal for Meeting of the Waters.

For those of you who are history buffs you will be glad to know that french Canadian explorers Étienne Brûlé (1605) and Samuel de Champlain (1610) both made their way up the river to this spot. The nearby Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park has taken the latters name in his honor. The route was important to an early Canadian nation for the next 200 years as it become part of a crucial water route linking the St. Lawrence from Montreal, west to Lake Superior. Under French rule canoes traveling west up the Ottawa to Mattawa turned left at “the Forks” to continue on to Lake Nipissing (and North Bay) and beyond via the French River. If you continue north from the forks you will enter the Upper Ottawa and Lake Temiscaming a wild natural region how to raw materials such an as abundant supply of lumber and some of the largest silver/gold reserves in the country at both Cobalt and Kirkland further north. It was also turned into a Hudson Bay Trading post in the 1830’s and was used as an active fur trading post.

An anchor on display on the Mattawa riverfront.

What to do in Mattawa
Hiking up to the “Three Crosses of Mattawa”

What to do in Mattawa

There is little to see in the town itself, but even still one should start at the log built visitors center, where a giant statue of Big Joe Mufferaw awaits (yes if you haven’t clued in already that’s an English misspelling of Montferrant). This folk hero was a 16 in Montreal when he beat Canada leading boxer in a match. The strong youth joined the Hudson Bay as a voyageur at 21, then a river logger (draveur in French) in the Ottawa Valley hauling logs down from northern Ontario all the way to Quebec City (along with a brief stint in the US). Good with his fists he was known protecting his french Canadian countrymen from Irish Gangs earning the respect of most who crossed him. You will find many of these wood statue erected around Ottawa.

Across the visitors center stands a beautiful masonry Anglican church with a strange Poutine related prayer message.

Not far from the church, on the south side of the Nippising you will find a traditional town center, with quaint masonry storefront and a few restaurants.

On the north side of the river you will find a large park looking out on the upper reaches of the Ottawa river, where the landscape becomes more scenic due to the stream being lined with hills. Here you will find several features such an anchor, the Mattawa and District Museum and a dock. You will also be able to see the three crosses of Mattawa atop the mountain overlooking the city on the east bank of the river and an old rail bridge crossing it. More on these Mattawa landmarks is to come shortly!

Back in the south side of the Nippising you will find a war memorial honoring Mattawa’s lost loved ones. Here you will find parking so that you may complete the next segment of this post.

Hiking up to the “Three Crosses of Mattawa”

So why are there three crosses atop the mountain overlooking town? Well that’s a good question and to my knowledge nobody really knows why although a variety of stories citculate!

Built on the crest of a laurentian mountain, the three white painted wood crosses could have been installed for any of four reasons.

The fist involve their erection in 1686 by Captain Pierre de Troyes on his way to raid english settlements on the James Bay
The second involves a priest, Father Nelson Duquette, a drunk, an outhouse and a match. The drink patron lit the floor on fire after throwing out his match and soon the town would up in flames, only to be saved by a sudden rain pour. Father Nelson Duquette’s prayer for rain was answered with the miracle of rain thus he promised that he would repay god by building those famous crosses.
The third involves three priests in 1917, wanting to show support for the war effort.
The last dates from 1991 when the rotting crosses were replace.

For more information check out the following article here.

PS: I have been told that the OPP can ticket you for crossing the abandoned CP rail bridge via the Railway Safety Act. This is absolute rubbish and its another indication that Ontario and even Canada at large is becoming a nanny state run by people that hate any type of risk. Just keep an eye out and play dumb!

To make it to the hike base point you have to walk across the wide Ottawa river via the old rail coridor. The steel mega structure still dominates the landscape and is a joy to walk across, minus the hot tar melting in the warm sun’s rays.

To access the bridge climb the balast just south east of the war memorial, near the public park where an opening exists in the bushes.

Its at least 600 metes to cross, a rather long bridge if you ask me.

Here are a few more pictures of the bridge…

Here are the utilities that used to service the north. These corridors often were built in parallel to the railway yet it still seems off to see them cantilevered off the bridge.

As you complete your trip across the bridge will abruptly turn into a new elevated ballast platform. This a popular stop off area for those boating across the river to complete the hike.

Walk along the ballast and look for a ladder heading up.

The path is semi will and it is easy to loose yourself. Look for markers left in the trees. This is a short hike but it is a steep one. Come prepared with proper hiking shoes as the re are a lot of slippy boulder along the 3.5km trail (-600m for the bridge).