Coaticook (Quebec)

Coaticook (9 204 inhabitants in 2006) is a Canadian city of the Quebec located in the regional Municipalité of county of the same name, MRC of Coaticook. Its name is drawn from the Abénakis " Koatikeku" , which means “Where the river is bordered of white pines”.

Coaticook is located close to Sherbrooke, in the Cantons of the east, administrative area of the Estrie, and borders the border of the the United States. This city is rather small, but is currently not regarded as a village. It is especially known for its throat and its the suspended bridge for pedestrians, longest in the world!

History

At the beginning of the XIXe century, Richard Baldwin father started from Barnston Pinacle to foot and went to the place where the city is currently located. He cleared a corner close to the brook, at the place where currently the popular Caisse is of Coaticook. Vester Cleaveland helped it and they cut down enormous pines by throwing them on the river with an aim of making a stopping close to the current cement bridge. During this year, the two Walter brothers and William Buckland made a clearing of ten bitter opposite the current station of the way of iron. Two other pioneers, Elias Parkhust and a brother-in-law of both Buckland began a clearing, more close to the line of Barford. Richard Baldwin and Vester Cleaveland returned in spring of the following year and finished the stopping, then they built a mill.

In 1826, called Cabe Ingraham made a clearing at the place where is currently the Saint-Marc parish. The first school was built in 1828. The first teacher was Sophia Chesley, wife of Richard Baldwin wire, with whom returns the honor to be the true founder of Coaticook. In 1830, Richard Baldwin wire builds the first true house with dependences. This house was set up at the place where currently the town hall rises.

In 1835, the colonists of Coaticook make a bad party with the agents without scruple of British American Land Co: " Little by little, other colonists joined these come first so that in 1835, at the time when British American Land Co plundered the forests along the rivers which discharge in Saint-François, the colonists of Coaticook were enough numerous to make a bad party with these new cageux somewhat parents with the dockers of London. One day, the men of the company went to complain with the most brought closer legal authorities. Two guards were sent on the spot by the company. But the colonists of Coaticook seized them, coated them with a species of sticky liquid, covered them with feathers of partridge and other night birds and meant to them to turn over to Sherbrooke without never giving the feet to Coaticook, or it would be the immediate dive in the river. Promises were at once made and held forever. " (Mgr Gravel)

About 1840, one of the first stores of the city was built by Mr. Marcus Child. It is in this circumstance that at the suggestion of Mr. Child, the name of Coaticook was given for the first time to the post office, to extend then to all the establishment and the future city.

In 1845, Mr. John Kennedy (not to be confused with John F.Kennedy, 35e president of the United States) built his forging mill and his house on the western main street, about at the place where the Bar is currently located Elsewhere. He was the first blacksmith of Coaticook (It is probably from there that the street name Kennedy comes).

In 1848, Mr. Samuel Cleaveland built opposite the saw mill a distilling for whiskey, which was in operation during five years. Roomy stables placed the animals with horns, fattened with the residue of the distilled grain.

The year 1852 marks the construction of the railroad the St. Lawrence and the Atlantic, later famous the Large-Trunk. This railroad, which one owes with the tenacity of Richard Baldwin wire, was undoubtedly responsible for great progress of the city.

In 1860, Mr. Lewis Sleeper arrived at Coaticook. He bought the water capacity and the mills. The following year, it built a masonry of three stages. His/her Wright brother installed with the first stages several machines suitable to turn iron and other metals. One named Worthen manufactured, on the second floor, of the weaving looms various fabrics by clever combinations. M.A.H. Cummings had its shop of doors and frame on the third floor.

1864 are the year of the incorporation of the Village of Coaticook. It is this year that a roomy room, with two classes and a part reserved for the deliberations of the council, was high on the ground of the English Academy (located at the corner of the streets Baldwin and Chesley) for the tidy sum of money of $2,500, to become the first town hall.

Park of the Throat and pedestrian bridge

The principal tourist attraction of Coaticook is undoubtedly the Park of the Throat. Located in full heart of the city, the throat was formed over one period of several tens of thousands of years. One will be able to find there celebrates it pedestrian Pont of Coaticook, a round barn, trees multicentenaires, high wood towers, the reconstitution of an Amerindian village of antan and many other wonders still.

The 615 acres of ground of the park make it possible to be devoted to a panoply of activities, be like winter. The estival activities most important are the hiking and the camp-site. A riding school is also added to these last. The winter, one can benefit from the sliding on tire tube, the racket and the ski touring. Other seasonal activities are also offered each year. For several years, one has celebrated there in June the national Festival of Quebec, with fires of artifices, musical productions and an immense bonfire.

Local press

Coaticook has its own weekly newspaper, the Progress of Coaticook, which is distributed inside the Publi-bag delivered in the MRC.

Historical heritage: The Norton Castle

Now known under the name of Beaulne Museum, this historical heritage was acquired by the municipality in 1976. Equipped with modern equipment and with more than 914 square meters of public spaces, the Museum present of the exposures in national matter just like it helps with the promotion of the regional artistic talents.

This modest residence belonged to null other that Arthur Osmore Norton (1845-1919), which made fortune thanks to a jack with roll of the dice, model single in its kind, invented by Mr Frank Sleeper de Coaticook. Norton bought the patent of Sleeper and ensured the production large scales of this powerful jack, used by the railroad companies. The members of this family contributed liberally to the promotion of health, of education as well as arts in the area. Harry A. Norton (1872-1948), wire of Arthur, like his wife, were impassioned collectors. The Museum is proud to be able to present photographs of the interior of the residence, taken in 1942 by the famous photographer George Nakash. At that time, the building was given to the “Church off England Female Orphan Asylum” of Quebec.

In 1963, a festival committee of the centenary of the city and Mrs Denise Beaulne organized one verifies objects of time in order to present them to the public at the time of festivities. The festival finished but harvest took its rise. Mrs D. Beaulne remained the person resource and the guardian of these objects. The collection was sheltered in a room of the town hall and quickly one realized that the objects collected were of an financial asset. Regularly, the municipal council was to answer the followers of the collection who wanted to emphasize the inheritance collected. The objects were relocated on several occasions and the collection became extensive. In 1975, the museum obtains its charter and a board of directors is trained. The ministry for the cultural Affairs of Quebec accredits the museum and this last profits from a subsidy and the technical assistance. A committee manages the Museum, institution with nonlucrative goal. Its full-time director-conservative assumes the responsibility for the setting-up of exposures intended as well for the researchers as to the public in general. Meanwhile, the Town of Coaticook acquires the Norton castle where it relocates the museum which must then choose its main axis of development: it will be the costume and the textile.

Let us stress that the Norton Castle was the first building of the city to being team of the telephone.

Dairy

Founded in 1940 per Arthur Bédard, Arthur St-Cyr and Henri Gérin, the Dairy of Coaticook Ltée specialized then in pasteurized dairy products. At that time, one prepared there natural milk, cream as well as milk with the chocolate. It is into 1942 that Mr Bédard buys the actions from his two associated and directs the company with its sons. It is at this time that appear the ice cream with old and the Cheddar cheese of the Dairy of Coaticook, which make the pride of the coaticookois.

In 1976, under the direction of the new owners Fernand Swells and Emile Provencher, the dairy ceases the distribution of milk, the cream and chocolate milk to concentrate on the ice cream and the cheese cheddar. These specializations made it possible the Dairy of Coaticook Ltée to cut an enviable place on the market by offering products of quality.

In 1989, the changing settles and give birth to from new products which make fury near the customers, that is to say the arrival of the Logs to the ice cream, frozen milk, the out-of-date cheese cheddar as well as goat's milk cheese. In 2004, the dairy moves in a building three times larger. A dairy bar is annexed to the factory, where one finds there all the delicious products manufactured by the Dairy of Coaticook: ice cream with old, fresh cheese of the day, out-of-date cheese cheddar as well as goat, succulent logs with the ice cream and several other products. Continuous Dairy of Coaticook Ltée to allure new palates thanks to its original receipt which makes the ice cream consistent and authentic.

The products of the Dairy of Coaticook are now sold a little everywhere in Quebec, and even to New Brunswick.

Photographs of time

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