Fort-Coulonge, Quebec

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Fort-Coulonge, Quebec
—  Village  —
Rue Principale in Fort-Coulonge.
Rue Principale in Fort-Coulonge.
Coordinates (134, rue Principale): 45°50′55″N 76°44′24″W / 45.84861, -76.74
Country Flag of Canada Canada
Province Flag of Quebec Quebec
Region Outaouais
RCM Pontiac
Established 15 Dec, 1888
Government
 - Mayor Raymond Durocher
 - Federal MP
Pontiac
Lawrence Cannon
(Conservative Party
of Canada
 - Quebec MNA
Pontiac
Charlotte L'Ecuyer
(Parti Libéral du Québec)
Area
 - Land 3.19 km² (1.2 sq mi)
Population (2006)
 - Total 1,369
 - Density 429.1/km² (1,111.4/sq mi)
 - Change ~2001 -17.6%
 - Dwellings 614
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
Area code(s) 819
Access Routes Route 148
Website: www.fortcoulonge.qc.ca

Fort Coulonge is a village in the Pontiac Regional County Municipality in western Quebec, Canada. Its population in 2006 was 1,369. It is also the francophone centre of the otherwise largely (57%) anglophone Pontiac MRC, with 79.6 per cent listing French as their mother tongue in the Canada 2006 Census.

Contents

[edit] History

Historic locations of Fort Coulonge.
Historic locations of Fort Coulonge.

Nicholas d'Ailleboust, Sieur de Coulonge, spent the winter of 1694-95 near the mouth of the Coulonge River and so established one of the first settlements on the Ottawa River.

The first trading post was called Fort-Coulonge. In 1760, the North West Company took over its management and in 1821, the Fort became the property of the Hudson's Bay Company. Until 1828, it served as the head post on the Ottawa River. The post's 655-acre (2.7 km²) farm was sold in 1844 and the buildings in 1855. The trading post became the village of Fort-Coulonge situated several kilometres down river.

The region's first sawmill was built by George Bryson in 1843. The first wooden chapel was built in 1873. It was destroyed by fire and replaced by a brick church in 1884. In 1886, the railway reached Fort-Coulonge. Fort-Coulonge became a municipality in 1888 and John Bryson was the first mayor.

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