A group of history enthusiasts, including a small contingent from Gatineau, gathered outside Coronation Hall in Bristol on Sunday afternoon for a guided tour of the town’s history organized by local non-profit Friends of Chats Falls.
The afternoon’s tour guide Greg Graham, a sixth-generation “Bristolian”, as he called it, opened the tour with some background on why the municipality’s shape is like a “slice of pie” – a fitting descriptor coming from a man in the business of selling pies.
He then led the group by foot down the road to Bristol’s cenotaph, where he shared the story of the store and hotel owned by William Craig that once stood in the cenotaph’s place.
The site of the hotel was chosen because it was about a day’s travel from Aylmer, and therefore a natural place to spend the night.
“Bristol had a bit of its beginnings as a rest stop where you could get a drink, you could get food, you could rest, and that was some of the origins of the village.”
Hope Cadieux, a member of the Friends of Chats Falls, said she organized this event to uphold one of the organization’s two key missions.
“We have two things we’re interested in: one is nature, the other is local history. So this falls into the history side of our program,” she said.
Marie-Claude Blanchard and daughter Madison McFarlane were among those keen to learn about the village, ready with their helmets and two-wheeled chariots in tow.
“I love to hear about the history of the Pontiac,” said Blanchard, who moved to Quyon in 2021 and has participated in previous historical tours and archaeological digs put on by the organization. “I love the area, I love to discover all the gems.”
After several hours of touring by foot and bicycle, the group returned to Coronation Hall for some warm apple cider.
