Grenville, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Grenville is a village and municipality in the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality, Quebec
, Canada. It is located opposite Hawkesbury
, Ontario
, on the Ottawa River
.
Its strategic location on the Ottawa River and the construction of the Carillon Canal
in 1819 led to the town's real growth. In 1826, the first general store opened and in 1828, the first school. In 1830, "Kingsey" sawmill was built, and a flour mill was added in 1838. In 1857, construction began on the Carillon-Grenville railway, which was completed six years later.
In 1861, the village and its surroundings had about 900 inhabitants. On January 1, 1876, the Village Municipality of Grenville was formed at which time it exceeded one thousand persons.
In 1910, the Carillon-Grenville railway was abandoned and later on dismantled.
to Grenville. The impetus for these canals was the War of 1812
. During this war, attacks along the Saint Lawrence River
jeopardized the communication lines between Kingston and Montreal, the two main military positions of Upper and Lower Canada. The Ottawa River Canal and the Rideau Canal
were thus designed as an alternative military supply route in the event of war with the Americans.
Work on the canal began in 1818 with the construction of a storage warehouse. In 1819, Captain Henry Vernet of the Royal Engineers
arrived from Britain to lead the construction of the project. Hundreds of Irish immigrants and French Canadians were used to excavate the canal under the direction of a hundred British soldiers. In 1833, the Grenville Canal was completed with an original length of 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi) and the entire network on the Ottawa River, including the 11 locks
, was not fully completed until about 1843.
The military requirements decided all aspects of the canal. The size of the locks were set to 134 feet (40.8 m) long, 33 feet (10.1 m) wide, and only 5 feet (1.5 m) deep at the thresholds. These dimensions, standards adopted for military use, were insufficient for any commercial use. Forestry had become the main economic activity in this region, and from 1867, local business people demanded that the government carry out improvements to the network because the original canal network had become outdated. In 1870, the Canals Commission recommended making the Ottawa River deeper between Lachine and Ottawa. Therefore, between 1873 and 1882, the Grenville and Carillon Canals were enlarged (the dam built upstream from the village of Carillon raised the level of the Ottawa River at Chute-à-Blondeau, making the need for a lock there no longer necessary).
Further changes were made from 1959 to 1963 with the construction of the Carillon hydroelectric dam
and a modern 20 metres (65.6 ft) high lock at Carillon. This work substantially and irreversibly changed the canal network. The dam raised the water level by over 62 feet (18.9 m) at Carillon and over 9 feet (2.7 m) at Grenville. The new water level flooded Greece's Point and its surroundings several feet underwater and inundated the rapids of Long-Sault, transforming them into calm water. Shortly afterwards, the steel swing bridge and canal locks were dismantled.
Total private dwellings, excluding seasonal cottages: 607 (total: 695)
Mother tongue:
Argenteuil Regional County Municipality, Quebec
Argenteuil Regional County Municipality is located in southern Quebec, Canada, part of the Laurentides region. The Regional County Municipality seat is Lachute.-History:...
, Canada. It is located opposite Hawkesbury
Hawkesbury, Ontario
Hawkesbury is a town in the Eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada, on the Ottawa River, near the Quebec-Ontario border.It lies on the south shore of the Ottawa River about halfway between Downtown Ottawa and Downtown Montreal in Prescott and Russell Counties. The Long-Sault Bridge links it...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, on the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
.
History
Although Grenville was already shown on the Gale and Duberger Map of 1795, it was not until January 28, 1808, that Grenville Township was officially established by Baron William Wyndham Grenville who gave it his name. Two years later, in 1810, the first French and English settlers arrived in the area.Its strategic location on the Ottawa River and the construction of the Carillon Canal
Carillon Canal
The Carillon Canal is a National Historic Site in Saint-André-d'Argenteuil, Quebec, Canada. It preserves the historic Carillon Canal that was first built in the 1830s to facilitate travel on the Ottawa River...
in 1819 led to the town's real growth. In 1826, the first general store opened and in 1828, the first school. In 1830, "Kingsey" sawmill was built, and a flour mill was added in 1838. In 1857, construction began on the Carillon-Grenville railway, which was completed six years later.
In 1861, the village and its surroundings had about 900 inhabitants. On January 1, 1876, the Village Municipality of Grenville was formed at which time it exceeded one thousand persons.
In 1910, the Carillon-Grenville railway was abandoned and later on dismantled.
Grenville Canal
The Grenville Canal, the Chute-à-Blondeau Canal, and the Carillon Canal were built to navigate the Long Sault Rapids on the Ottawa River which stretched for 21 kilometres (13 mi) from CarillonSaint-André-d'Argenteuil, Quebec
Saint-André-d'Argenteuil is a municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality. It is located along the Ottawa River, just south of Lachute.-History:...
to Grenville. The impetus for these canals was the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. During this war, attacks along the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
jeopardized the communication lines between Kingston and Montreal, the two main military positions of Upper and Lower Canada. The Ottawa River Canal and the Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
were thus designed as an alternative military supply route in the event of war with the Americans.
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
arrived from Britain to lead the construction of the project. Hundreds of Irish immigrants and French Canadians were used to excavate the canal under the direction of a hundred British soldiers. In 1833, the Grenville Canal was completed with an original length of 9.5 kilometres (5.9 mi) and the entire network on the Ottawa River, including the 11 locks
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
, was not fully completed until about 1843.
The military requirements decided all aspects of the canal. The size of the locks were set to 134 feet (40.8 m) long, 33 feet (10.1 m) wide, and only 5 feet (1.5 m) deep at the thresholds. These dimensions, standards adopted for military use, were insufficient for any commercial use. Forestry had become the main economic activity in this region, and from 1867, local business people demanded that the government carry out improvements to the network because the original canal network had become outdated. In 1870, the Canals Commission recommended making the Ottawa River deeper between Lachine and Ottawa. Therefore, between 1873 and 1882, the Grenville and Carillon Canals were enlarged (the dam built upstream from the village of Carillon raised the level of the Ottawa River at Chute-à-Blondeau, making the need for a lock there no longer necessary).
Further changes were made from 1959 to 1963 with the construction of the Carillon hydroelectric dam
Carillon Generating Station
The Carillon Generating Station is a hydroelectric power station on the Ottawa River near Carillon, Quebec, Canada. Built between 1959 and 1964, it is managed and operated by Hydro-Québec. It is a run-of-river generating station with an installed capacity of 752 MW, a head of , and a reservoir of...
and a modern 20 metres (65.6 ft) high lock at Carillon. This work substantially and irreversibly changed the canal network. The dam raised the water level by over 62 feet (18.9 m) at Carillon and over 9 feet (2.7 m) at Grenville. The new water level flooded Greece's Point and its surroundings several feet underwater and inundated the rapids of Long-Sault, transforming them into calm water. Shortly afterwards, the steel swing bridge and canal locks were dismantled.
Demographics
Population:- Population in 2006: 1398
- Population in 2001: 1315
- 2001 to 2006 population change: 6.3 %
- Population in 1996: 1443
- Population in 1991: 1362
Total private dwellings, excluding seasonal cottages: 607 (total: 695)
Mother tongue:
- English as first language: 9 %
- French as first language: 88 %
- English and French as first language: 2 %
- Other as first language: 1 %