The Archeo-Pontiac Project: Digging for History in Quyon
Carl Hager
MUNICIPALITY OF PONTIAC—At the confluence of the Ottawa and Quyon Rivers, on the current site of the Quyon municipal park, archeological diggings led by volunteers and assisted by experts in the field, started September 27th. On the very lands that entrepreneur Philemon Wright is said to have had farm and timber lands two hundred years ago, and where fur trading with the First Nations people occurred, the search for valuable heritage artifacts began. Supported by the group Artefactual which is a social economy enterprise in matters related to archeological events, the public was invited to try their hand at scouring the earth and hopefully find hidden gems from Quyon’s historical past.
Organized by the Friends of Chats Falls this free event occurred on the weekends of September 26th and October 3rd, with school children taking part in the activities October first, second, sixth and seventh. Students from Onslow Elementary, Ecole St. Marie, Grand Riviere High School in Aylmer, and Pontiac High in Shawville were expected to participate. “This is a unique opportunity for citizens to discover the history of their territory, to handle genuine artifacts, and to contribute to the preservation of our collective memory,” said Gina Vincelli of Artefactual.
The Municipality of Pontiac supported this initiative by having city workers remove a layer of top soil so that careful archeological work could then begin. The Mayor, Roger Larose said, “This is a beautiful project, exploring the history of Quyon. We are lucky to have the Friends of Chat Falls be interested in our history, the history of Quyon. Two hundred years ago Philemon Wright retired on these very lands. The archeologists, professionals and volunteers alike, are working on the site where his homestead was thought to have been located.”
Maude Emmanuelle Lambert, a local historian working at the National Archives in Ottawa collected interesting artifacts which would be cleaned, examined and sent away for further analysis. A round musket bullet, a corroded key and porcelain thought to be of eighteenth century origin have already been found at this Quyon dig.
Pinock, the artist and craftsman from Kitiganzibi, demonstrated hand made objects such as a birch bark canoe and baskets made from the local environment. At his kiosk Pinock offered interpretations of the First Nations peoples who traded with the settlers at Quyon.
Audrey Lapointe, a teacher at Ecole St. Marie, and volunteer working with the Friends of Chats Falls, was enthusiastic about the artifacts that would be found. She and retired archeologist Ian Badgley helped direct the site activities and supported the effort with their expertise.
Other groups supporting the dig financially included the MRC des Collines, The Desjardins bank, and the Outaouais Historical Society.
