Ormstown is a municipality in

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 Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, which is situated on the

Chateauguay River The Chateauguay River (or Chateaugay River in the United States, moh, Oshahrhè:’onKaronhí:io Delaronde and Jordan Engel, The Decolonial Atlas, Haudenosaunee Country in Mohawk, February 4, 201Link/ref>) is a tributary of the South Shore of th ...

in the heart of the

Chateauguay Valley The Chateauguay Valley is an area of southwestern Quebec Canada, roughly encompassing the drainage basin of the Chateauguay River which flows from the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York state and joins the Saint Lawrence River near Montreal ...

. It is approximately one hour southwest of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and 20 minutes north of

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The population as of the Canada 2011 Census was 3,595 of which Francophones comprise about 65%. Ormstown has two elementary schools, one high school (

Chateauguay Valley Regional Chateauguay Valley Regional is an English/Bilingual high school in Ormstown, Quebec, Canada serving the Chateauguay Valley and Valleyfield area. It is administered by the New Frontiers School Board. Enrolment is currently approximately 550 (est. ...

), and two adult education facilities, several restaurants and churches. Ormstown is also well known for its numerous antique dealers and unique gift shops. There is a park north of the centre of town which is home to Ormstown Beach, an urban legend created and memorialized in the 1970s with "I've been to Ormstown Beach" bumper stickers. It is a popular summer activity to cycle along the Chateauguay River. The town has traces of an old dam, which was once the source of power for the mill. People living outside the town only gained access to electricity following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

History

In the 1950s, Ormstown became the site of a significant

microwave radio relay Microwave transmission is the transmission of information by electromagnetic waves with wavelengths in the microwave frequency range of 300MHz to 300GHz(1 m - 1 mm wavelength) of the electromagnetic spectrum. Microwave signals are normally lim ...

station, part of the Trans Canada Telephone System. Initially, the system passed through the major cities of Canada via towers located on top of downtown telephone buildings. Subsequently, concerns were expressed that a disaster affecting any of those city cores, such as a war or uprising, would result in an interruption of the continuity of the transcontinental communications system. The solution was to locate a "bypass" microwave site outside each of those cities with links to the east and west, as well as a short link into the city. The Ormstown facility was the bypass point for Montreal, but had further significance as it also included a link to the

AT&T Long Lines AT&T Communications, Inc., was a division of the AT&T Corporation that, through 23 subsidiaries, provided interexchange carrier and long-distance calling, long-distance telephone services. History AT&T Long Lines The American Telephone & ...

TD2 microwave system in the United States. In 2000, the town merged with the surrounding parish of St-Malachie d'Ormstown to form the

Municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of Ormstown.

Geography

Communities

The following locations reside within the municipality's boundaries: *Tatehurst () – a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

located in the northern portion along Route 201.

Lakes & Rivers

The following waterways pass through or are situated within the municipality's boundaries: *Étang Greig (Greig Pond) () – a pond in the eastern portion. *Rivière aux Outardes (Outardes River) (Mouth ) – feeds into the Chateauguay River (la Rivière Chateauguay). *Rivière aux Outardes Est (East Outardes River) (Mouth ) – feeds into Rivière aux Outardes. *

– flows west to east through the municipality.

Demographics

Population

Language

Attractions

Expo Ormstown

One of the town's main attractions is the Expo Ormstown—formally known as the Ormstown Fair—which was started in 1910. It is held annually during the second week of June, making it Quebec's earliest spring fair. Several competitions take place at the fair: farm animals, crafts, horticulture and baked goods are evaluated by judges and can be viewed by fair goers. Other competitions include a tractor pull, demolition derby, and equestrian events. Additionally, there are carnival rides, arcades, a petting zoo, and live musical performances. The Ormstown fair attracts people from all surrounding areas.

Allan's Corners

Located near Ormstown, in the hamlet of Allan's Corners, is the site of the

Battle of the Chateauguay The Battle of the Chateauguay was an engagement of the War of 1812. On 26 October 1813, a combined United Kingdom, British and British North America, Canadian force consisting of 1,530 regulars, volunteers, militia and Mohawk people, Mohawk wa ...

, where on October 26, 1813 Canadian and Native forces fought and repelled an invading American force that was planning to attack

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. The site is a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of t ...

, and there is a

Parks Canada Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, th ...

museum near the site of the battle.

Government

Jacques Lapierre was elected to fill the post of mayor on November 1, 2009, replacing interim mayor Luc Lavigueur. Lavigueur took over the post after former mayor John McCaig resigned for health reasons.

Infrastructure

Transportation

exo du Haut-Saint-Laurent formerly provided commuter and local bus services, but these have been replaced by services provided by the Haut-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality.

References

External links

Battle of the Châteauguay National Historic Site of Canada

Expo Ormstown
{{Authority control Municipalities in Quebec Incorporated places in Le Haut-Saint-Laurent Regional County Municipality