Eva Baldi
Bristol August 14, 2022
After being postponed because of last weekend’s scorching temperatures the Friends of Chats Falls held its first historical bike tour through Bristol and Norway Bay.
Friends of Chats Falls is a not-for-profit organization started in 2017 that hopes to promote tourism and knowledge of the Chats Falls and Ottawa River watershed. The group puts on activities year round that are often based on better understanding the history of the region while being respectful of the area’s natural environment.
In the past, the Friends of Chats Falls has . . .
held walking historical tours but the group decided that a bike tour would be best for Bristol and Norway Bay because the tour would cover longer distances.
Participants of the tour met at Coronation Hall where they met Greg Graham, local historian who was asked to lead the tour.
“I love the history of Bristol but I laughed because of all the Graham boys you could ask to do this, I’m the least qualified,” joked Graham.
Graham explained that several of the sources he used to learn about the region were written by his eldest brother Gord Graham who has been teaching history at Pontiac High School for the past 20 years.
The group headed on their bikes to their first stop at the Bristol cenotaph. Graham explained the surprisingly rich history of the little square of grass where the war monument stands. Until 1910 when it burned to the ground, that was the location of the tavern. He noted that it was where people would stop on their journey from Aylmer to Portage. Graham said that along with the tavern, Bristol used to have a bank, a sash factory, a hotel and a tennery.
“They had everything you needed because Arnprior was the closest town as the bird flies,” said Graham.
The group continued their tour, stopping at about 10 spots in both Bristol and Norway Bay. Despite some of the places no longer being there, such as the tavern and the railway station, the group were told stories as if the buildings were still standing.
Participant Randal Beattie noted the importance of activities like this one saying that promoting tourism will help the community grow and prosper.
“But we have to get more interested and get people involved to get things accomplished,” said Beattie. “Ottawa survives on tourism. And we’re an hour away from a population of over a million people now. So we have to get them coming up here.”
