Fort-Coulonge

Fort-Coulonge
Village municipality

Rue Principale in Fort-Coulonge.

Location within Pontiac RCM.
Fort-Coulonge

Location in western Quebec.

Coordinates: 45°51′N 76°44′W / 45.850°N 76.733°W / 45.850; -76.733Coordinates: 45°51′N 76°44′W / 45.850°N 76.733°W / 45.850; -76.733[1]
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
Region Outaouais
RCM Pontiac
Constituted December 15, 1888
Government[2]
 • Mayor Raymond Durocher
 • Federal riding Pontiac
 • Prov. riding Pontiac
Area[2][3]
 • Total 3.20 km2 (1.24 sq mi)
 • Land 3.19 km2 (1.23 sq mi)
Population (2011)[3]
 • Total 1,377
 • Density 431.6/km2 (1,118/sq mi)
 • Pop 2006-2011 Increase 1.4%
 • Dwellings 601
Time zone EST (UTC−5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s) J0X 1V0
Area code(s) 819
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 1,600. 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.

Fort-Coulonge is known for the Félix-Gabriel-Marchand Bridge which is actually in neighbouring Mansfield-et-Pontefract.

Demographics

Population

Canada census – Fort-Coulonge community profile
2011 2006
Population: 1,377 (+1.4% from 2006) 1,358 (-18.2% from 2001)
Land area: 3.19 km2 (1.23 sq mi) 3.19 km2 (1.23 sq mi)
Population density: 431.6/km2 (1,118/sq mi) 425.7/km2 (1,103/sq mi)
Median age: 44.7 (M: 44.2, F: 45.1) 42.6 (M: 42.4, F: 43.1)
Total private dwellings: 601 676
Median household income: $35,329 $39,007
Notes: Includes corrections and updates for 2006. – References: 2011[3] 2006[4] earlier[5]
Historical Census Data - Fort-Coulonge, Quebec[6]
YearPop.±%
1991 1,647—    
1996 1,716+4.2%
YearPop.±%
2001 1,661−3.2%
2006 1,358−18.2%
YearPop.±%
2011 1,377+1.4%

History

Historic locations of Fort Coulonge.

In the late 17th century the site was occupied, perhaps intermittently, by members of the d'Ailleboust family, who used "sieur de Coulonge" as a title. Accounts differ: the Commission de toponymie du Québec mentions Nicholas d'Ailleboust de Manthet, who wintered in that location in 1694;[1] Elizabeth Browne Losey says it was founded by the d'Ailleboust family 'as early as 1650'.[7] With the fall of New France it was abandoned. Before 1800 it was re-occupied by the North West Company, who gave it its present name. When the Hudson's Bay Company took over in 1821 it continued to be supplied from Montreal. Until 1828 it was the head post on the Ottawa River. The post engaged in farming as well as trading. After 1830, as the area became more settled, it became more like a general store. The post's 655-acre (2.65 km2) farm was sold in 1844. In 1855 the surviving store was sold to Thomas Taylor, its last clerk. The buildings were still standing in 1873 but by 1892 they had burned down.[7]

The trading post became the village of Fort-Coulonge situated several kilometres down river.

The region's first sawmill was built by George Bryson, Sr., 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.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Reference number 23187 of the Commission de toponymie du Québec (in French)
  2. 1 2 "Fort-Coulonge". Répertoire des municipalités (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  3. 1 2 3 "2011 Community Profiles". Canada 2011 Census. Statistics Canada. July 5, 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-28.
  4. ↑ "2006 Community Profiles". Canada 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2013-05-12.
  5. ↑ "2001 Community Profiles". Canada 2001 Census. Statistics Canada. February 17, 2012.
  6. ↑ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
  7. 1 2 Elizabeth Browne Losey, "Let Them be Remembered:The Story of the Fur Trade Forts", 1999.



This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.