Articles

1) What was the Abenaki name for the place later known as Sherbrooke? a) Ktinékétolékouac (meaning "big forks") b) Ktouchibouguic (meaning "big place") c) Ktiketkineketouakic (meaning "big place to party") 2) In whose honour is Bishop's University in Lennoxville named? a) Billy Bishop, the famous World War I fighting ace b) George J. Mountain, the 3rd Anglican Bishop of Quebec c) John J. Bishop, a pioneer educator

1) a; 2) b; 3) b; 4) a; 5) c; 6) b; 7) a; 8) a La Tribune (1910); Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke (1939); Université de Sherbrooke (1954); 9) b; 10) b

1) What beverage did early Townships pioneers derive from one of their first crops? a) Pumpkin schnapps b) Carrot wine c) Potato whisky 2) Up until well into the 1830s, Townshippers complained often for better services. One of their biggest gripes was that they could not get their produce to market. Why was that? a) Roads were terrible or non-existent. b) They had no horses to transport their goods, and what horses they did have were lame c) The fares on the public bus system were too expensive

1. c) Potato whisky. According to early Townships historian Benjamin Hubbard, a bushel of potatoes yielded about a gallon (4.5 litres) of whisky. Said Hubbard: "In some cases, the whisky trade was profitable, but its general tendency was to exhaust the farms and blight the prospects of the early settlers." 2. a) The roads were terrible or non-existent. 3. b) The Temperance Movement. Prohibition was a later offshoot. 4. b) The Asbestos Strike of 1949, which was unprecedented in Quebec history for its level of union solidarity.

1. According to folklore, why were round barns round? a) Because the darkened corners found in traditional barns were thought to harbour the devil b) Because it was harder to clean the manure out of the corners found in traditional barns c) Because children could avoid chores by hiding in the corners found in traditional barns 2. How did Owl's Head Mountain get its name?

1. a) The idea that round barns were built that way to prevent the devil from hiding in the corners has long been associated with the Shakers of New England. Round barns in the Townships, however, were built purely for practical reasons. Greater ease in feeding and cleaning the cattle, better light, and aerodynamics all played a part. 2. b) According to tradition, the mountain is named after Owl, a local Abenaki chief. 3. c) Memphré. Named after Lake Memphremagog, sightings of the legendary beast date back nearly two centuries.

THE THREE VILLAGES

In 1797, several years after the American Revolution, Loyalists Nathan Andrews and Caleb Tree arrived in Canada, and built a grain mill next to the Rivière des Brochets (Pike River). The little village of Stanbridge East was thus born, in the heart of a calm and quiet landscape.

Nestled between luscious green valleys on the banks of the Brochets River, close to Mount Pinacle and the American border, Frelighsburg is home to a particularly special architectural heritage as is reflected in the importance, originality and preservation of its buildings. Its proximity to the United States meant this village became a place where many cross-border immigrants would eventually settle.

The Eastern Townships' principal city is Sherbrooke. With a population of 150,000, it dominates the region. Sherbrooke is situated at the confluence of the St. Francis and Magog rivers. In Abenaki times, these two rivers were important navigable waterways for travelling through the region.

Selby Lake, in Dunham Township, in what is now the MRC of Brome-Missisquoi, was for many years the most popular spot for rowing, fishing, picnics and Sunday outings.

Rock Donda stands before us like a nut-brown maid, quietly holding herself aloof from the waters that have paid her homage all these years.

Many men, and women, too, have smothered sorrow and disappointment in the daily grind of a hustling, bustling life, either business or social, while others have turned their backs to the world and all it offered and found peace amid Nature's kindly offerings. It is a noticeable fact that a man who makes the latter decision almost invariably goes to a lake-shore retreat. There he finds the solitude his wounded spirit craves and at the same time an allurement that tends to hold him to his decision...

Many a strange, weird happening which took place along the shores of the lake lying partly in Canada, partly in the United States, has been recorded, and among them is the story, or legend, of the barrel of rum.

Balance Rock is a famous boulder situated on Long (formerly Manitou) Island in the middle of Lake Memphremagog. The rock has long been associated with Native legend. According to tradition, the Abenakis who used to inhabit the area believed that it guarded the entrance to the afterlife. It was a sacred place and few dared to venture near it.

Lake Memphremagog is located partly in Canada and partly in the United States. Europeans have been living around the lake for only the last two centuries; before their arrival, the area was occupied by the Abenakis, the indigenous people who gave the lake its name, which roughly translates as "beautiful waters."

The Council fire cast weird shadows amongst the trees and the waters of the river reflected its glow. The Chieftain of the Abenakai tribe, tall and commanding, with flashing eyes, but features calm and immovable, stood in the midst of the fire-lit circle. Addressing his tribesmen the Chieftain spoke thus:

On November 5, 1915, the Parliament of Canada issued an Order in Council authorizing the organization of the 117th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force , to be recruited in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Belgium, Nov 10th [1915] Dear Carl, I often think of you all especially when the full moon floats over head and wish I might drop in and see you all—

Upper Canada felt the sting in the opening days of the War of 1812. But for many residents of Lower Canada life continued as usual.