Along The Old Portage Route

My path in Gatineau took me to a spot I had been in before. A sign along this street noted that this was the likely pathway of an old portage route around the nearby Chaudiere Falls, used from time immemorial by the First Nations peoples here. The more recent history of this place includes the 1900 Great Fire, which destroyed the original core of what was Hull at the time before being finally brought under control over on the Ottawa side of the river. This pub dates to after the Great Fire- 1908 is etched near its roof.

At one point this was a church, but now houses a tech operation.

Across the street, this building, with its crest and mural, caught my eye. It appears to be a local branch of a Mexican university.

A short walk away is this monument to the founder of what is today Gatineau. Philemon Wright was a farmer, businessman, and lumberman who came up from New England and established a settlement at the Chaudiere Falls by 1800. He called it Columbia Falls Village, others called it Wrightsville, and it ended up becoming Hull, and ultimately Gatineau.

I had actually gone a little further then I had intended to, into a park along the Ottawa River just upstream from the Chaudiere Falls. These Canada geese had their priorities straight- eating grass and ignoring me.

Turning around gives us a view of a sculpture set. Boat Sight is a 1984 sculpture by John McEwan and was commissioned for this site. The boat represents culture, while the animals react to it with fear and curiosity.

I headed back a bit, as I realized I'd missed the turn off for the Chaudiere Bridge. I passed alongside the building that was in the background of the monument shot up above, and photographed its field stone exterior.

Two months ago, the Chaudiere Bridge was pretty much cut off from any crossings; the high waters of this past spring on the Ottawa River closed it up completely. At present it's mostly only open to pedestrians and cyclists, as work is being done on the road on either side of this main span. The road passes through the islands here that occupy this portion of the Ottawa River. The bridge crosses the main channel, with the Chaudiere Falls just upstream from here. I'll bring you over there tomorrow.

My last shot for today looks downstream where I started. The Portage Bridge is over there, with Parliament Hill in the background. I photograph the downstream view from there a couple of times a month, and will be doing so this month. The next post for that series comes in September.