The Coulonge Chutes (in French: ''Chutes Coulonge'') is a non-profit recreation park and historical exhibition area operating in

Mansfield-et-Pontefract Mansfield-et-Pontefract is a municipality in the Pontiac Regional County Municipality of western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Ottawa River, northwest of Gatineau. It is the most populated municipality in the Pontiac Regional County Mun ...

, in the Pontiac Regional County Municipality of western

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada. Its main attraction is the high Grandes Chutes

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

of the Coulonge River and long cement log slide. Although the last log drive ended here in 1982, the waterfalls and gorge of the Coulonge River enjoy a substantial popularity among tourists, hikers and cyclists for playing a tremendous role in the reimagining of

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide funds ...

in an area no longer able to survive upon resource extraction alone.

History

At the beginning of the 19th century, early forestry operations pushed tall white pines, squared by axe, down into the Ottawa River, destined to be sold by auction near the Canadian Parliament buildings and exported to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

where they were used to build ships during the Berlin Decree proclaimed by

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. Timber from the area played a large part in the construction of cities along the American East Coast including

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and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In the 1830s and 1840s, George Bryson Sr. settled near the mouth of the Coulonge River, an

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (french: Rivière des Outaouais, Algonquin: ''Kichi-Sìbì/Kitchissippi'') is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word 'to trade', as it was the major trade route of Eastern ...

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...

- acquiring thousands of acres of timber rights including directly surrounding what is known as The Grandes Chutes, located approximately 15 kilometers north of the Ottawa River itself. In 1843, Bryson built the Marchand covered bridge. Chutes-Coulonge 1024x584

As more settlers arrived in the area from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, the

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and

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, many small towns along the length of the river were established. Bryson constructed a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

on the river's edge around 1850. Because the Coulonge Falls were a huge obstacle in the transportation of local timber, a massive {{convert, 3000, ft, m wooden log slide was constructed to enable wood to pass freely over the treacherous drop. In 1923, a cement slide replaced the wooden chute. J.E. Boyle, constructed a sawmill in

Davidson Davidson may refer to: * Davidson (name) * Clan Davidson, a Highland Scottish clan * Davidson Media Group * Davidson Seamount, undersea mountain southwest of Monterey, California, USA * Tyler Davidson Fountain, monument in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA * ...

- still in operation today - exporting to the United States and other Canadian provinces. The Coulonge River and the log slide remained in use for log drives until 1982. The site became a public park in 1985 when a reception chalet was opened.

External links

Chutes Coulonge official website
Tourist attractions in Outaouais Parks in Quebec Open-air museums in Canada Forestry museums in Canada Museums in Outaouais Buildings and structures in Outaouais Protected areas of Outaouais

History

See also

External links