River-of-Wolf

River-of-Wolf (known of 1845 with 1919 under the name of Fraserville ) is a city of the Quebec (Canada) located on southern bank of the Fleuve the St. Lawrence at 200 km at the North-East of the town of Quebec (localization: ). The new town of River-of-Wolf was created the December 30th 1998. It is resulting from the regrouping of the town of River-of-Wolf and the municipality of the parish of Saint-Patrice-of-the-River-of-Wolf. The city is the chief town of the regional Municipalité of county of River-of-Wolf in the Low-Saint-Laurent.

Geographical location

Located at the confluence of the river of the Wolf and the river the St. Lawrence, the city occupies a situation of crossroads between Montreal, Gaspé, the New Brunswick, the state of the Maine (the United States), and the northern bank of the St. Lawrence river. This localization is worth to him to be served by the railroad - which is at the origin of the expansion of the city at the XIXe century - just as by highways 20 (Route transcanadienne) and 85. It is connected to the area of Charlevoix, on northern bank of the St. Lawrence river by a service of seasonal cross bar. A small airport located in the municipality close to Our-Lady-of-Bearing serves also the city.

The city is set up on a series of plates which rise starting from the St. Lawrence river until an altitude of almost 200 meters. This broken topography in staircase explains the presence of several spectacular falls on the river of the Wolf, in the center of the city. These falls were exploited as of the XIXe century for the energy production, which in its turn allowed the installation of many small industries. Today still, the city remains one of the principal industrial centers of the area of the Low-Saint-Laurent.

Population

With its 18.555 inhabitants (2006), it is the chief town of a MRC (regional municipality of county) including/understanding 32.988 inhabitants. It is also in the center of an economic basin of almost 90.000 inhabitants covering the territory of the MRC of Kamouraska, Témiscouata and of the Basques. River-of-wolf and Saint-Patrice-of-River-of-Wolf, now amalgamated, counted 17.210 inhabitants in 1991. The population thus increased by 7,8% in 15 years on the current territory of the city.

Economy

Its economy is based on the exploitation and the transformation of the natural resources (forests and peat bogs), and on several industries, trade and services. Tourism and the culture are also economically present. On the whole more than one thousand of companies in 2002 (primary sector 8,2%, secondary industry 16,5% and tertiary sector 75,3%). SME now take a very important place in this economy so much so that the city is classified, in this chapter, among the best in Quebec and Canada. She, moreover, saw herself decreeing in 2006 the title of " entrepreneurial city in Québec".

History

Important dates

the site of River-of-Wolf would have been occupied by French sailors as of the Années 1600.
In December 1673, the seigniory of the River-of-Wolf is conceded, by the Compagnie of the Indies Occidentales, with its agent Charles Aubert of Chesnaye which there assistant strongholds of Kamouraska in 1680 and Témiscouata-Madawaska in 1683.
In July 1763, the seigniories and strongholds of the River-of-Wolf, are yielded to James Murray, first governor of the new British colony.
In August 1802, the seigniory of River-of-Wolf is sold with Alexandre Fraser, wire of the colonel Malcom Fraser. The seigniory takes then the name of Fraser pluôt that River-of-Wolf
In 1845 with the passing of years urbanizing the seigniory, it changes name for Fraserville.
In 1859, Fraserville becomes the terminus Is railroad the Large-Trunk.
In 1889, inauguration of the railway line towards the New Brunswick.
In March 1919, the city of Fraserville becomes the city of River-of-Wolf.
In June 1926, a fire devastates 57 buildings, of which nearly about thirty commercial buildings.
In June 1939, visit of the king Georges VI and the Elizabeth II queen.
In August 1959, inauguration of the airport.
In March 1968, inauguration of the CHR (regional Hospital).

The parish mother of Saint-Patrice-of-the-river-of-Wolf is set up canonically in 1833 and civilly in 1842. In 1850, the municipality of the village of Fraserville separates from the municipality of parish and will become the town of River-of-Wolf in 1919. In 1852, the parishes of Saint-Antonin and Our-Lady-of-Bearing will be made up with same the territory of Saint-Patrice-of-the-River-of-Wolf. The residual territory will keep its own municipal identity until 1998, whereas it is joined together at the town of River-of-Wolf, after a 149 years separation.

An important railway center

It is in 1854 that the railway company of the Grand Trunk confirms the project to build a line connecting Montreal and Halifax complementary to the line Montreal - Portland supplemented in 1852. The authorities of the time wishing above all to connect the seaboard provinces to the industrial centers of the center of the country, the original layout of the company is not firstly dedicated to the service road and the development of the east of Quebec. Thus, the plans provide that the layout will be done by the interior of the grounds for economic reasons, leaving without service road the majority of the villages of the Kamouraska just as Fraserville. Under the pressures of the local authorities, the layout selected serves finally Fraserville, which becomes even the terminus of the line. Work begins in 1858 and the railroad is inaugurated in 1860. During the 15 following years, this line in cul-de-sac (Lévis-Fraserville) remains under-utilized, and has a modest effect on the urban development, since it does not make it possible yet to connect Montreal to the seaboard provinces. It is the construction of intercolonial, inaugurated in 1876, which insouffle a true economic vitality with Fraserville.

Required by New Brunswick and Nova Scotia like price of their fastening to the Canadian federation, the intercolonial railroad must adopt a course entirely out of Canadian ground, which obliges practically its passage by Fraserville. This network will make River-of-Wolf for nearly 100 years a neuralgic point for the routing of the goods between the Maritimes and centers it country, the supply out of coal and water of the engines as well as an important stopover for the travellers. The effect is so important that in 1900 the city counts: 5000 inhabitants against: 1800 for Rimouski, also confirming the role of regional economic pole for the east of Quebec.

The addition of the railroad of Temiscouata in 1889, facilitates the exploitation of the forest resources of the area until the Maine, the various sawmills of River-of-Wolf transform then the matter before dispatching it by the sea route.

It is in 1952 that the decline of the railway activity begins, mainly with the closing of the repair shops of the rolling stock of CNR. The improvement of technologies brings an increase in the reliability and a reduction of the time spent in workshop for each traversed kilometer. The activities of repair are then transferred towards Charny and Moncton with the employees from River-of-Wolf. The situation worsens even more with the massive adoption of the Diesel locos in the years 1950 with 1960, at the same time removing the need for supplies out of water and coal. The abandonment of the railroad of Témiscouata and the creation of the section between Saint-Andrew and Pelletier Station in 1977 makes in kind move a good part of the continental traffic between Montreal and the seaboard provinces in the west of River-of-Wolf. Today, River-of the Wolf is nothing any more but one stage among others on a line mainly used to connect Charny to the seaboard provinces.

Seaside resort

As of the arrival of the railroad, River-of-Wolf becomes a Seaside resort with the mode for the easy classes of the time grace enter others to the beauty of its landscapes, its proximity of the river and with the freshness of its summers. Inter alia personalities, the Prime Ministers to sir John A. Macdonald and Louis the St. Lawrence rested there the summer of worries of the administration of the country. Since 1873, the places received the title of estival Capital of Canada, titrates confirmed with the very large multitude of American tourists.

Inheritance

The field seigneurial Fraser

The field seigneurial Fraser, classified provincial historic site, includes/understands a manor, its dependences and its ground. The manor, built in 1829, is a building of two red brick stages, capped with a mansard-roofed roof. The unit located on a principal artery, in the middle of the old village core of the municipality, and includes an archaeological component.

Sixth lord of River-of-Wolf, Alexandre Fraser (death in 1837) acquires the manor in 1834, and the building will be inhabited by its descendants during 155 years. The manor is thus closely related to the socio-economic development of River-of-Wolf. The financial asset of the field seigneurial Fraser also rests on its architectural interest. The manor, set up in 1829, was renovated in 1888. Work is carried out in the style néo- Queen Anne, according to the plans ordered with the architect Georges-Emile Tanguay (1858-1923). Having undergone few modifications since 1888, the manor constitutes the most important example of residential architecture néo-Queen Anne with River-of-Wolf.

Among the secondary buildings, are a handing-over and a refrigerator as well as the vestiges of a cattle shed, which testify to the domestic life of the occupants of the seigneuriaux manors at the XIXe century. The refrigerator, particularly large, at that time illustrates the importance of the ice for the conservation of the food products and its mode of storage in basement.

The financial asset of the field seigneurial Fraser rests finally on its harmonious integration with the environment. He testifies to the current widespread Pittoresque at the XIXe century, according to which the house constitutes an element of the landscape as well as the gardens. The gallery which surrounds the manor on three sides and the French windows, which directly lead living room to the planted garden of flowers and fruit trees and including/understanding a kitchen garden, reflect this will to integrate architecture into the environment. Established in the upper part of the ground, the manor offers, of the gallery, an admirable point of view on the St. Lawrence river and more particularly on Island-with-Hare.

Building of Bank-of-Montreal

The building of Bank-of-Montreal, recognized provincial historic building, is a rectangular stone building of plan, of two stages. It is capped with a roof with four slopes with the livable roofs. The building, built about 1908, is located on the street Lafontaine, the principal commercial artery of the city.

The financial asset of the building of Bank-of-Montreal rests on its scarcity. It remains the only banking building former to 1930 to have preserved its original use on the territory ranging between Montmagny and Matane. The others were demolished or changed vocation.

The financial asset of the building of Bank-of-Montreal also rests on its representativeness. It illustrates the monumental character conferred on the banking buildings at the beginning of the XXe century. They are conceived so as to evoke the force, safety, the solidity and the prestige of the institution and to inspire confidence by the use of a traditional architectural language and by the nobility of their materials.

Toponymy

In his Relation of 1634, the father the Young person announces the Amerindian name of the river, Capititetchouez. One of the first certificates of the Rivière denomination of the Wolf appears, in 1673, in the act of concession of the seigniory of the River-of-Wolf with Charles Aubert of Chesnaye (1632-1702), ancestor of Philippe Aubert de Gaspé. It is allocated to the Chrestien father Clercq to announce unambiguous the name of the river in its book First establishment… (1691), volume II: “& other Wild Nations which came in draft to the dwelling from the River from the Wolf”. This denomination caused several attempts at explanation not perfectly satisfactory. One allotted it to the presence of many marine wolves in the past. Some believe that Jacques Cartier itself, having found many marine wolves on the strike of the river, had given him this name. However, one made hunting for the Wolf-sailor in this area of the country, which justifies, partly, the concession of a seigniory with Aubert of Chesnaye. These animals could surely go up the estuary of the river. Others think that the river would carry this name because Samuel de Champlain would have met there on its edges the nation of the Wolves or Mahigans. Lastly, the most plausible assumption wants that it is about the name of a vessel, the Wolf, from France and whose crew would have been constrained to winter in the estuary of the river around 1660.

Sports

River-of-wolf accommodated the Jeux of Quebec during the summer 1971 and the Canadian Plays of the francophonie in 2003.

Personalities

John McLoughlin, regarded as the “father of the Oregon”.
Nicolas Dickner, writer.
Andree Side-Levesque, artist-painter

Municipalities bordering

Sources

Repertory of the municipalities of Quebec
Commission of toponymy of Quebec
municipal Businesses and areas - regional charts

External bonds

Infos River-of-Wolf

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