Mattice-Val Côté is an incorporated township in

Cochrane District Cochrane District is a district and census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created in 1921 from parts of Timiskaming and Thunder Bay districts. In 2021, the district's population was 77,963, with a l ...

in Northeastern

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. It is located approximately east of Hearst and west of

Kapuskasing Kapuskasing ( ) is a town on the Kapuskasing River in the Cochrane District of Northern Ontario, Canada, approximately east of Hearst, Ontario, Hearst and northwest of Timmins, Ontario, Timmins. The town was known as MacPherson until 1917. ...

Ontario Highway 11 King's Highway 11, commonly referred to as Highway 11, is a Ontario Provincial Highway Network, provincially-maintained highway in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. At , it is the second-longest highway in th ...

. The township was incorporated on April 18, 1975, as the United Townships of Eilber and Devitt, with Paul Zorzetto as first reeve. Its two primary population centres are Mattice and Val-Côté. Mattice is located on the Missinaibi River, a historic fur-trading route that flows into the Moose River, then into

James Bay James Bay (, ; ) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. It borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, and is politically part of Nunavut. Its largest island is Akimiski Island. Numerous waterways of the ...

. The river is a popular destination for canoers, known for its historical significance.

History

Mattice was founded in the 1910s, fueled by the arrival of the Canadian Transcontinental Railway and free land given away by the government. Most residents came from the province of Quebec. The town was named after Gregor Lenox Mattice. He was born July 26, 1872, in Cornwall Township, Ontario, Canada, and died April 1, 1940, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Major Gregor Lenox Mattice was educated at the Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and graduated as a civil engineer. For a time he was with the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (now the Canadian National Railway) as District Engineer, with headquarters at Cochrane, Ontario. He had charge of construction between Hearst and Cochrane. When the road was completed, the field office was named Mattice in his honor. When a town built up around the field office, the town was also named Mattice. The history of Mattice-Val-Côté and its residents is detailed in the two volume book ''Si Missinaïbi m'était conté''. Volume I tells the story of the original settlers in the early 1920s. Volume II tells the story of their descendants. Vol I -'' L'histoire vécue des pionniers de Mattice-Val-Côté''. Vol II- ''L'histoire des gens de Mattice-Val-Côté''.

Economy

A majority of residents work in nearby Hearst and Opasatika in the lumber industry. Opasatika's mill is now shut down. Other residents work in the service industry. A group of local women entrepreneurs have banded together to open a clothing company which manufactures

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clothing, ideal for the cold winter conditions of the area.

Tourist attractions

The Municipality of Mattice-Val-Côté has set up a rest and camp area on the right bank of the Missinaibi River so that canoe enthusiasts can sleep, shower, rest and visit the sites. The municipality has also erected a sculpture depicting a voyageur

portaging Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

along the river. Mattice is home to a historical

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

cemetery, located two kilometers south of town. It had been abandoned in the 1940s but has now been cleaned up and can be accessed by road or by canoe on the Missinaibi River. A rock museum opened in Val-Côté in 2002.

Festivals

The Carnaval Missinaïbi (winter carnival) is held over the course of two weeks in the end of February/beginning of March every winter. Activities include snowmobile rallies, music concerts, and kids activities. The Carnaval is best known in the area for its generous prizes (vehicles and money) given away in the Carnival draw. The first "journées médiévales" (Medieval Days) took place in the summer of 2006, inspired by a similar activity in a small Quebec town. The festival takes place at the baseball field of Mattice on the last weekend of August. This festival features the naming of a king and queen for the day, a competition to become a knight, a lot of family activities, a variety of different expositions and a meal without utensils. Canadian Rivers Day has been celebrated for four years with organized trips on the Missinaibi River, educational sessions and family activities.

Sports

Residents and visitors enjoy outdoor sports such as hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, camping, swimming and canoeing. It is a popular spot for anglers and hunters.

Education

The local grade school is called École catholique St-François-Xavier where students go from kindergarten to grade 8. High school students are bussed to École Secondaire catholique Hearst.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Mattice-Val Côté had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mattice-Val Cote, Ontario Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Municipalities in Cochrane District Single-tier municipalities in Ontario Township municipalities in Ontario