1

Hydroelectric development of the Gatineau River

The Gatineau River flows south from the Abitibi region for 360 kilometers until it flows into the Ottawa River in Gatineau. Today, there are three electric powerhouses in the Outaouais on the Gatineau River: at Farmer's Rapids, Chelsea, and Paugan.

At the beginning of the 20th century, local entrepreneurs who believed in the future of electricity established small, private power companies. In the 1920s, large corporations also became involved in the development of the electric potential of the Gatineau River, principally the International Paper Company from New York. Two subsidiaries were born: the Canadian International Paper (CIP), in 1925, and the Gatineau Power Company, in 1926. After 1927, the Gatineau Power Company acquired many small, local companies and eventually became a monopoly controlling the hydro-electric of the Gatineau River.

In 1926, the CIP concluded an agreement with the Quebec government to create a huge reservoir at Lake Baskatong, north of Maniwaki, with the construction of the Mercier storage dam: this resulted in the flooding of many local settlements along the river. Subsequently, the CIP transferred all its rights to the Gatineau Power Company. Between 1926 and 1929, the Gatineau Power Company built three hydroelectric dams and reservoirs on the Gatineau River to meet the demands of CIP factories and the Hydroelectric Power Commission of Ontario.

Railway tracks leading to the building sites were constructed to transport workers, and material. Thousands of people, including many local farmers, were hired to work on the construction of the different structures. They lived in camps at the construction sites. The work was often dangerous, and several deadly accidents were reported in the local newspapers during the 1920s.

The construction of the Farmer's Rapids and Chelsea dams caused the flooding of 150 farms, and as a result, the villages of Cascades and Kirk's Ferry largely disappeared.

Bibliography:
Gatineau Valley Historical Society Files
Gaffield, Chad: History of the Outaouais. Québec: Institut québécois de recherche sur la culture, 1997, 843 p.
Lecours, Jacques: "The Great Hydro-Electric Works on the Gatineau River: Some Views From Contemporary Engineering Journals". In: Up the Gatineau! Vol. 21, pp. 35-44.
Savoie, Bernard: "En Remontant le courant hydro-électrique de Gatineau". In: Outaouais, vol. 4, pp. 51-60.

2

Wakefield flood, 1908
20th Century, 1908
Wakefield, Quebec, Canada

Credits:
GVHS Archives, 00294.003

3

People beside the I. B. York House during flood, circa 1909
20th Century, Circa 1909
Wakefield, Quebec, Canada

Credits:
GVHS Archives, 00196.001.003

4

The York family in front of their store during a flood, circa 1909
20th Century, Circa 1909
Wakefield, Quebec, Canada

Credits:
GVHS Archives, 00134.002

5

Maniwaki during the 1910 flood
20th Century, 1910
Maniwaki, Quebec, Canada

Credits:
GVHS Archives, 02393.002.a030

6

Gatineau River at Chelsea, 1923
20th Century, 1923
Chelsea, Quebec, Canada

Credits:
Photographer: C. M. Johnston
GVHS Archives, 02103.001.a017

7

Aerial view of the Gatineau River before the flooding, circa 1925
20th Century, Circa 1925
Farmer's Rapids, Quebec, Canada

Credits:
GVHS Archives, 00407.004

8

Chelsea Falls before the construction of the dam, 1923
20th Century, 1923
Chelsea, Quebec, Canada

Credits:
Photographer: C. M. Johnston
GVHS Archives, 02103.002.a017

9

Construction of the Chelsea Dam, 1926
20th Century, 1926
Chelsea, Quebec, Canada

Credits:
GVHS Archives, 02395.001a.a031

10

Building of the Chelsea Dam in 1926
20th Century, October 1926
Chelsea, Quebec, Canada

Credits:
Archives Hydro-Québec
GVHS Archives, 01358.002.a010

11

Chelsea power house and dam, circa 1927
20th Century, Circa 1927
Chelsea, Quebec, Canada

Credits:
Photogelatine Engraving Co. Ltd. Ottawa
GVHS Archives, 02210.015.a022

12

Aerial photograph of the Gatineau River, from Farmer's Rapids to the Chelsea Dam, 1946
20th Century, 1946
Chelsea, Quebec, Canada

Credits:
Marshall-Maruska Aerial Images
NAPL, A9617-30
GVHS Archives, 01606.001.a013

13

Railroad construction after the flooding of the Gatineau River in 1926-1927
20th Century, Circa 1927
Chelsea, Quebec, Canada

Credits:
GVHS Archives, 01520.001.a011

14

Aerial photograph of Kirk's Ferry before the flood, 1926
20th Century, 1926
Kirk's Ferry, Quebec, Canada

Credits:
Marshall-Maruska Aerial Images
NAPL, HA137-92
GVHS Archives, 02397.012.a032