It all started here: the cradle of Canada's capital city - 7300 years to the first log driver settler in 1800
John Savage (in hat & white tunic), leading his walk on Waterfront Reconciliation along rue Jacques Cartier in Gatineau, 2018. / John Savage (tunique blanche) mène la promenade « Waterfront Reconciliation » sur la rue Jacques Cartier en 2018
Rue Jacques Cartier has a storied past stretching back to the misty times of prehistory, from Indigenous occupation, Samuel de Champlain's visitation in 1613, through to the logging era, and popping out into today's quickly evolving waterfront neighbourhoods. This place is now known for strolling along a path with exceptional river views, all kinds of recreation (cycling, skateboarding, running, boating), and its variety of restaurants. It is perhaps the National Capital Region's oldest place of human habitation, stretching back at least 7300 years. This was the site of a protest led by our guide, John Savage, in 2014 to protect and preserve the artifacts found here, supported by our community.
Since then, we have discovered another interesting story and that is of London Oxford, who was the original settler who owned property on what became rue Jacques Cartier. London Oxford was a free black man from the United States, who came to this area in1800 with Philemon Wright, the celebrated founder of what became Hull, Quebec. The two collaborated to establish the region's lumber trade, shipping squared timber by raft to Quebec City from the shores of this locale. This gave rise to the largest lumber trade in the world at that time, which influenced the neighbourhood development for the next two centuries, a blink in time compared to the Indigenous peoples who occupied this region before them, but impactful on the way the street looks today.
Join us for a pleasant walk along the shores of the Gatineau River that bend to the Ottawa River. Across the street from our walking path are several restaurants; you may want to visit one of these after satiating your appetite for local history and neighbourhood stories.
More information on the historical accounts from this walk:
London Oxford (English): London Oxford - the First Black Settler in the Ottawa Valley (capitalchronicles.ca)
London Oxford (francais): London Oxford - le premier colon noir de la vallée de l'Outaouais (capitalchronicles.ca)
Taiwanese TV coverage of the protest John Savage led in 2014. His demand that Place Abinan Parc be created to showcase the Indigenous archaeological history of the site is where we start our walk. https://youtu.be/6umFu3ABMJg?si=lO2yP79BuR8icx3d
Aboriginal groups protest against decision to quit archaeological dig, Ottawa Citizen, By Marie-Danielle Smith, Published Aug 07, 2014: Aboriginal groups protest against decision to quit archaeological dig | Ottawa Citizen
