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BY VANCE GUTZMAN
Henry Hudson may have become lost, but the stone which is fabled to bear his initials has finally found itself a home. Chalk River residents Tom Tennant and Ray Brisebois, along with help of other volunteers, have mounted the Hudson Stone in a small park at the intersection of Church and Wilson Streets. The mounting of the stone is the culmination of a long road travelled by the stone, beginning 38 years ago when it was discovered by a road crew repaying Highway 17 at the eastern end of Deep River.

The large rock, weighing about 150 pounds, has words etched into it which read HH 1612 CAPTIVE. Some people believe the message was inscribed by famed explorer Henry Hudson. It is believed he was set adrift in James Bay in 1611, following a mutiny while on his fourth attempt to discover the Northwest Passage.
There is speculation that the explorer may have made his way south following the mutiny, and was then captured by Indians. Glenn Cuthbert was a member of the road crew that made the initial discovery of the rock. He had it moved to his home in Prescott, where it piqued the interest of Tennant, who is Cuthbert's brother-in-law. Tennant was able to persuade Cuthbert that the stone should be returned to this area. Cuthbert agreed, and for the last few years, Tennant, along with Brisebois, has been trying to find a proper setting for the stone in the village. Village council told Tennant earlier this year that it had no money to spare for the project. Unfazed, Tennant and Brisebois went ahead with their plans anyway. The first thing they did, was pour a cement slab. Into this they sank the base of a large slab of fieldstone, which weighs about 450 pounds. On top of the fieldstone, they mounted the Hudson Stone. One of the hardest parts of the whole experience was when the two men had to manhandle the Hudson Stone from Brisebois' backyard to its present location. Now that the historic rock is in a place where everybody can admire it, Tennant is lobbying the Ontario Heritage Foundation for help in erecting a plaque at the monument. He hopes to have that. phase of the project completed by next spring. "It's a relief to finally have it in a location where people can see it," Tennant said. "Now we can see it and work around it to improve the community park."

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Chalk River's 'Anne Crosson' Community Park
2000
Chalk River, Ontario, Canada