CALEB NICKERSON
QUYON Feb. 18, 2018
On Sunday, local history buffs and outdoorsy types converged near the Tim Hortons Voyageurs Camp outside Quyon for a guided tour of an old horse railway.
Organized by the Friends of Chats Falls (FOCF), a volunteer group dedicated to promoting the heritage of the area, a staggering 50 people registered to participate.
FOCF President Maude Lambert said that due to the strong turnout, they will consider hosting more events like it in the future.
“It’s a way to make people more aware of the heritage of the Chats Falls area,” she said. “Last summer we did a bike tour … This summer we plan to organize some kind of trip on the river to cover the historical interest of the Pontiac Bay.”
“The walk will be about an hour and a half, it’s guided so there will be five stops,” she continued. “Those that want to go for a longer walk, they can continue and see the path of the horse railway.”
During the 1800s, the square timber industry was the dominant economic driver in the Outaouais and much of the lumber barons’ infrastructure still makes up the landscape of the region, if one knows where to look. The horse railway was built in 1847 by John Egan, a prominent businessman who founded Quyon, in order to bypass Chats Falls.
Participants were split into Anglophone and Francophone groups, led by Bob Baser and Lambert respectively, to make things easier on the guides and thin out the crowd along the trail.
“I heard about the history of the old village and the canal and horse railway, but like many I didn’t have the chance to see it before someone [brought] me there to show me,” said Lambert. “This is the kind of thing we want to do because we have some people here, they’ve lived in Quyon for 40 years and they’ve never been here, they’ve never seen all this heritage.”
Municipality of Pontiac Mayor Joanne Labadie, as well as several local councillors were on hand for the walk, eager to learn a little more about their region. There was plenty of extra gear for anyone lacking, courtesy of another local volunteer organization.
“We have a few extras that we borrowed from our friends at Ski Pontiac for those that don’t have snowshoes,” Lambert said. “It’s a great collaboration.”
Following the walk, attendees were invited back to the nearby Domaine de Pontiac Village Winery, owned by Lambert and her partner Pavel Kohl.
