Quyon, Quebec
Quyon is a village in Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. It is located within the Pontiac Municipality.
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[edit] Geography
Quyon is located on the Ottawa River north of Aylmer, at the mouth of the Quyon River. The West Carleton-Quyon Ferry connects Quyon to the city of Ottawa (near Fitzroy Harbour) in the summer.
Landmarks of interest include St. Mary's church and Gavan's Hotel, named after former proprietor Lennox Gavan. Gavan's has been a favorite of locals and Ontarians who routinely cross the river to partake in the later closing time for establishments in Quebec. Gavan's daughter Gail has been a local favorite entertainer who no longer resides in Quyon but returns frequently to sing at Gavan's and other local events. McCann's Chips, owned and operated by Mae McCann, and in earlier times her late husband Ervin, has been located in downtown Quyon for over 30 years and is one of the last surviving establishments offering food in Quyon. Many existing Quyon residents have connections to North Onslow and Wolf Lake, neighbouring communities. The primary industries in times past were forestry and farming. Three kilometres southeast of Quyon is Camp B'nai Brith of Ottawa, a Jewish summer camp run from Ottawa, established in 1936, and serving campers from across North America. Today, most who reside in Quyon work in Ottawa or other locations outside of the immediate vicinity.
[edit] History
Already the site of the Sainte-Marie Mission, the village was founded in 1848 by John Egan, a lumber baron of the Ottawa Valley and mayor of Aylmer from 1847 to 1855.[1] It derived its name from the Quyon River, a tributary of the Ottawa River that was used by Egan for log driving, and was originally spelled "Quio", from the Native Algonquin word kweia (pronounced "quia"), meaning "Smaller River"[2] or "sandy bottom river".[1]
The area was heavily settled by Irish immigrants during the mid-19th century after the Great Famine forced many to emigrate for their survival. The town was incorporated on January 1, 1875, and its spelling was changed to "Quyon" to provide a compromise prononciation equally acceptable to both French and English speaking residents.[3] It experienced a period of prosperity because of the railroad built by the Union Forwading Company.[1]
The village municipality of Quyon, along with the neighbouring municipalities of Onslow, Onslow-Partie-Sud, and Eardley, was amalgamated into the municipality of Pontiac in 1975.[1]
[edit] See also
- Pontiac Pacific Junction Railway - former railway running through Quyon
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "Quyon (village)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/ToposWeb/fiche.aspx?no_seq=128331. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
- ^ Lemoine, Dictionaire Francaise=Algonquin, 1909
- ^ James Robinson, How Quyon Came to Be, 2006
Coordinates: 45°31′N 76°14′W / 45.517°N 76.233°W
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