The Ottawa Journal from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Page 49

I Perky linking Hawkesbury to the Province ef Quebec, plays a major role In keeping the town's eeo- noray buoyant. A slg- nilicant amount of lim-: ber feeding fhn huge CIP plant Acre rigt-nates from Quebec Huere mles of wood at the CIP plant, in. Hawkesbury bear a constant reminder to how the town originated. The plant now employs more than 400 workers. Airport has created new business HAWKESBURY (Staff) -Hawkesbury's midwife' was timber, and for years it has been renowned as a' one-industry town based on this resource.

The town still depends mightily upon this resource as a fundamental ingredient in Its economic make-up, and perhaps it always will. But town politicians have been moving steadily since 1968 toward creation of a more diversified industrial, base. Fourteen industries have located here in the past six years. The announcement of a few more major industries setting up shop is imminent, according to Mayor Philibert Proulx. Forty new commercial en-terprlsesare expected in Hawkesbury within the next two years, he continued.

The town's commercial and industrial assessment base obviously must gear itself for a healthy Increase. "And it's all mainfy due to 1 bob this airport," gloated Mayor. Proulx. He was ref erring to con-, struction of the new international airport to be located in Ste. ScbolasUque, about 25 miles away from Hawkesbury.

Another factor contributing' to the' tow's economic prosperity is the Parley bridge, linking it to the province of Quebec. The bridge is rather outmoded for present-day and future needs of economic transportation. A significant amount of wood feeding the CIP plant in Hawkesbury flows across the bridge daily. A span on the bridge broke But a new and wider bridge will be constructed within the next, three years, said Mayor "Without that we'd be a ghost town," be reflected. This fresh Influx of econotri-ic activity should also prompt an invasion of new residents, Mayor Proulx believes.

The M' ivi 7'ix IN I 1-, 4 The Ottawa Journal Saturday, May 11, 1974 49 -ri 'if 1. i 1 fM. -r-i--- 1 I .1 .,.36 -y- Tp iir .7 1 J'- -1 1 1 wt" fV journal nepener journal Reporter I "fr -14 History ought to have afford- I VV1 ed Jtowleon at least some i History' ought to have afford- ed Napoleon at least some 1 'ft, i'r, it By PETER GIBBS HAWKESBURY (Staff) recognuion fot the. establisb--. mentof this cemmunity early ia the 19th century (0 mfles east of Ottawa.

Had it not been for the en. peror's warring on the conn- and bis, closure- of all isaropean pons to unusn trade in 1807, Britain may never have been forced. Into a desperate search far raw ma- terials to keep the Royal navy afloat Titnber was required for-: the sturdy masts and hullsOf th British navy and its mer- chants It was a com- modity with which the forest- ed Hawkesbury plains were z-t richly endowed. Thereby, Bes a tale. Who were theae pioneers who put Hawkesbury on the map, and opened it up for all world to see? The Hamilton commisaioned the British government to buud lumber mills, in Canada, selected this i wilderness area along the Ottawa River as a perfect site.

Its vast timber resources appeared capable of offering an infinite supply to feed the mills. John, William, Robert and Georg Hamilton founded what aS later to be referred. to as Hawkesbury Mills in 1808. The sawmills were constructed on a tiny narrow island in the Ottawa River adjacent to the present town. If called Snye Island.

However, an American settler' from Fort Covington, W.Y., is credited with laying J' the foundation for the sive isaw-niilllng enterprise" later established by the Thomas Mears built the first sawmill on the site later present population is about 9,000. However, the groundwork for this development first be undertaken. This means the annexation now being undertaken on. this "Our population could shoot of surrounding land in tne townships, be said. Work is believe," he maintained.

up so fast it will be hard to project This ancient stone building was the former office tot the brothers' Hawkesbury 'Mills operation and was one of the few buildings which survived a fire which destroyed the ori- enal mills on Snye land In It now houses the 'province's tourist Information' office daring the summer. 7 1- 1 enlarged on by fee 'Hamilton bfomers. Mears also constructed the -first dam to furnish water power for its propulsion. He later built the fust distillery to maintain the area as an attractive site for early settlers to locate. Historians now credit the construction-of mill" and 181S, as the prime: ingredients for moulding tne youmful, com- fmunity as Vyiable unit, A few years- later, Mears i built the first general store in the village.

However; a. major faced the early settlers, and had to be conquered before. mis area would ever acquire ame for 'its prowess, in tobw production. A safe means of access bad to be sccommodated through the treacherous Chenal Ecarte (lost Channel), the body of water separating the 'mainland from the island and lts.sawmills It was rocky, and forced' the waters to bound about in a splashy turbulence. Long Sault of me Ottawa Mean again rose to the challenge, i Besides his other significant enterprises in Hawkesbury, he also involved himself in the boat-bullduig trade.

He constructed the first; steamer to successfully navi-. gate the Ottawa River from the Long Sault to the Chau- diere Falls. This helped to further open I. -J1 s1; rs 1 1 Photoatory by Peter Gibbs 1 I 1 if IX. I- HAWKESBURY: Even Naboledn can be credited as; a founder wl.

me Hawkesbury area to addt- T'iS' tional development byentice; uig an added settlers. 1 Mears' Ustoric craft, chris- tened The Union, was constructed on the creek bank close to the first null site, i and was launched and floated on the river during a high water period. History has accorded "the honor of being me first pio- neer resident of the Hawkes- bury area to Simeoo Vafl-; kleek. In the labe 18m centoy, he cut the first tree, built the first shanty and later brought his family to settle jn the present village of Vankleek Hili, a few miles from the. town of Hawkesbury.

A United Empire Loyalist from Poughkeepsie, N.Y.j he ventured first to Montreal to find a suitable living site. He ascended the Montreal mountain, end peered off into the distance in search of a From his perch, Vank-, leek observed, a prominent peak in the Laurentian chain, travelled there, and scanned the adjacent territory. It was from this location where he spotted the ridge in Hawkesbury Township, which now bears bis name. Other early pioneer settlers of Hawkesbury were the Waites, Co'bbs, Higginsons, McLeods, Bangs, Wells, Bancrofts and the Whltcombs. But (here is not a Hawkesbury name among the early settlers.

Legend has that the town ti received its name from Bri- 7l 1 tain's minister of war in 1805 or -Hawkesbury. He never visited mis area, how-t ever. 'A: relentless typhold.fever epidemic-, ravaged i its way through Hawkesbury in 1819, and. threatened to the youthful settlement into a survived. to allow the community to be officially incorporated into a in Another aeaster threatened the financial nnnation of the v- town almost 100 years after the typhoid epidemic.

In 1925, the original, mills on the island were -destroyed by fire. Great long rows of lumber- were also consumed The renders of Haw-: kesbury's early mill period were', this family home of George Hamilton 'called Hamilton HaJ and the Hamilton brothers' stone office building. Hamilton Hall, was later flooded out of existence with the construction- of the Carillon Dam project 1961. Ontario now uses the stone office building as a tourist information bureau during the summer. Timber still accentuates the promise of a brighter economic future for the town, as it did 200 years ago.

The huge CTP plant and its research operation employs more than 400 workers here. It is located adjacent to Snye Island, the original mill site. But now, they help feed the engines of business enterprises and consumer appetites uuxwghout North America, and not the engines of a war fought long ago. I Li tM mm.