French-Canadian Settlement and the CPR in the Mattawa Area Historical Plaque

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French-Canadian Settlement and the CPR in the Mattawa Area

Photo by contributor Colin Old - Posted November, 2009

Plaque Location

The District of Nipissing
The Town of Mattawa
On the north side of Main Street (Road 533)
just west of the Mattawa River bridge

Coordinates: N 46 19.162 W 78 42.551

Plaque Text

Francophone settlement rapidly increased in the Mattawa area with the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in 1881. During construction of the rail line, the local economy benefitted from the presence of thousands of French-Canadian workers, some of whom were accompanied by their families. Once the railway was operational, the local lumber industry expanded and Mattawa prospered as a community, a supply and transportation hub, and a lumber depot. Development was also stimulated in the towns to the west of Mattawa along the CPR line - Eau Claire, Bonfield, Astorville and Corbeil - communities that also benefitted from significant numbers of French-Canadian settlers during the 1880s. These people brought with them their unique culture and heritage, and left a lasting Francophone legacy in this area of Ontario.

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