For those interested in a heritage of a different kind, Hydro-Quebec’s Rapides-Farmer power generating station on the Gatineau River makes for a truly fascinating and eye-opening visit.
Constructed in 1927 when hydro-electric sites were being developed all across the province of Quebec, the facility has a current production capacity of 98 megawatts of electricity, with a waterfall of over 20 metres.
Editor's note: The name of the museum was changed in 2013 to The Canadian Museum of History.
A must-see for anyone visiting the Capital region, the Canadian Museum of Civilization is the largest and most popular cultural attraction in Canada. Located just across the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec, the museum’s multi-level exhibition complex receives an astounding 1.3 million visitors annually.
Not far from Plaisance, along Route 148, is Parc national de Plaisance (Plaisance Provincial Park). With its 28 square kilometres of islands, peninsulas, and marshes along the Ottawa River, the park is home to a stunning variety of flora and fauna.
Stamp collectors from novice to expert -- or indeed anyone interested in the history of the postal system -- will enjoy a visit to the Canadian Postal Museum. Opened in 1974, the Postal Museum has occupied a portion of level two in the Canadian Museum of Civilization (CMC) in Gatineau since 1997.
Covering an area of nearly 14,000 square kilometres, and stretching northwest into the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, the La Vérendrye Wildlife Preserve is one of Quebec’s largest parks. Travellers along the northern route of the Trans-Canada Highway, or Highway 117, will be familiar with this vast preserve, since it takes about two hours -- and a daunting 180 kilometres -- before one has crossed the park!
The Glengarry-Prescott-Russell Region of Eastern Ontario is being discovered as a tourism venue. It is a Region rich in many agri-recreational sites, heritage attractions and industrial diversities along the historic Ottawa River. Located off highway # 417, the Region lies between the two metro areas of Ottawa and Montreal. It attracts tourists from both sides of the Quebec-Ontario border and includes towns such as Vankleek Hill, Hawkesbury, L'Orignal, Chute à Blondeau and St Eugène, Hawkesbury, Montebello, Cushing, Carillon etc.
An interesting ensemble of heritage buildings and other points of interest is located a short walk up Mill Road in historic Wakefield. Mill Road makes for a pleasant stroll as it winds its way uphill a short distance from the village alongside the La Pêche River, which tumbles down the slope to the Gatineau River.
Sans aucun doute, l’un de premiers lieux patrimoniaux du Pontiac reste le Parc des Chutes Coulonge. Situé à quelques kilomètres au nord de Fort-Coulonge, le parc est important non seulement en raison des splendeurs naturelles de la rivière Coulonge, avec ses chutes spectaculaires et son canyon, mais tout autant en raison de sa valeur historique.
The Pontiac Pacific Junction Railway (PPJ), constructed along the Ottawa River from Aylmer to Waltham in the 1880s, was a huge boon to the Pontiac. The towns that were situated directly along the route benefited the most -- towns like Waltham, Fort Coulonge, and Shawville. Today, the Pontiac Pacific Junction Railway is only a memory in the region.
