The Canadian province of Quebec formed the Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railway (QMO&OR)[1][2] in 1874 to link those cities since private companies, without the usual subsidies from the Federal Government of Canada, could not get financing, mainly because the Grand Trunk Railway was lobbying against it.[3]
This project was a priority for the premier of the province of Quebec, Sir Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière. It was the first major railway along the north shore of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers. The promoters of its predecessor companies had hoped to be part of the Canadian transcontinental railway project, a goal which was finally achieved when the QMO&OR was sold to the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR).
In 1880, the Montreal, Ottawa & Occidental Railway Company built a railway bridge across the Ottawa River close to Lemieux Island. Initially called the Chaudière Railway Bridge, its name was later changed to the Prince of Wales Bridge in honour of the eldest son of Queen Victoria, the future King Edward VII. (When this name change occurred is uncertain but it was no later than 1887.) However, the Prince of Wales bridge did not carry pedestrian or carriage traffic, and was far removed from the city centre.
The Historical Society of Ottawa
The following information is from Tourist's Guide du Touriste, Quebec & Ottawa via Q. M. O. & O. 1879
HULL:
A prosporous and rapidly increasing village in the township of the same name, countv of Ottawa. It is one of the most important places in the Province, west of Montreal, and is chiefly noted for its very extensive lumber trade. It possesses unrivalled water power, which is utilized by a number of mills and factories.
EAST TEMPLETON.
A small village in the township of same name, county and district of Ottawa. Distant from Ottawa 7 miles from Montreal 117 miles. Population about 250.
BUCKINGHAM.
An incorporated village on the River du Lievre, township of same name, county and district of Ottawa, It has a large lumbering and several grist mills are in active operation business, Montreal Telegraph Co. has an office, Distant from Ottawa 21 miles and from Montreal 100 miles. Population about 2,000.
Buckingham is a former town located in the Outaouais region in the western portion of the province of Quebec, Canada. Since 1 January 2002, it has been part of theamalgamated city of Gatineau, which merged five former municipalities, including Masson-Angers, Buckingham, Hull, Aylmer and Gatineau, into a single entity. According to the 2016 Census, the population of the town was 16,685.[1] Wikipedia
ROCKLAND.
Station of the north shore railway between Thurso and Buckingham,
THURSO.
A thriving and promising village in the township of Lochaber, county of Ottawa. There are several saw mills in the vicinity. Montreal Telegraph Go. has an office. Distant from Ottawa 30 miles, from Montreal 108 miles, Population about 1000.
NORTH NATION MILLS.
A thriving village on the North Nation River, county and district of Ottawa. Distance from Ottawa 38 miles, from Montreal 100 miles. Population about 400. A large lumber trade is done in the village,
PAPINEAUVILLE.
A thriving village In the parish of Ste. Angelique, county and district of Ottawa. Montreal Telegraph Co. has an office. Distant from Ottawa 40 miles, and from Montreal 90 miles, A largo lumber business is carried out. Several saw and grist mills are in active operation. Population about 800. There is a Roman Catholic Church.
Papineauville is a town and municipality in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Papineau Regional County Municipality. In 2001 its population was 2247. The municipality is bordered on the north side by the Petite-Nation River and on the south side by Pentecost Bay of the Ottawa River. Wikipedia
MONTEBELLO.
A village on the river Ottawa, parish Notre-Dame de Bonsecours, county and district of Ottawa. This region was formerly called Quiennontaterous by the Huron Indians, which signifies “Place intersected by mountains.” It was then inhabited by the Algonquin tribe, the same probably as that from which Algonquins of the lake of Two Mountains and of Borgne Island are derived. Montreal Telegraph Co, has an office here. There is a Roman Catholic Church, Population about 600, Distant from Ottawa 44 miles.
Montebello is a municipality located in the Papineau Regional County Municipality of Western Quebec, Canada. At the 2001 census, there were 1,039 permanent residents. The village has a total area of 7.95 square kilometres, and is located at the eastern edge of Quebec's Outaouais region. Wikipedia
POINTE AU CHENE.
A small village in the township of Grenville, county of Argenteuil, district of Terrebonne. Distant from Grenville 7 miles, from Ottawa 54 miles, from Montreal 63 miles. Population about 150.
CALUMET,
The station of Calumet on the Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railway is situated halfway between Montreal and Ottawa, The village of Calumet Island is not very near to the station. The Ottawa River forms here a wide bay, overflowing marshy banks. The romantic river Calumet, which bounds over a rocky ravine, and affords water power to a saw mill and a lathe factory. The stream allords good trout fishing, above and on the north side of the falls of Calumet, there lies a most picturesque glade, wanting only the pinic party, below this the marble quarry, from which a large block was transported to Ottawa for the government buildings, and presented by the proprietor, M. Hamilton, in which bed, geologists will find trap dykes and trap boulders, while a lime quarry a little further with, will roward rock students. Calumet station is the nearest to the celebated Caledonia springs, having only the river crossing to L’Orignal, which crossing is done by ferry boat. Tourist or pleasure seeker, will find the attraction of Caledonia springs unrivaled.
GRENVILLE,
A village on the Ottawa River, at the head of the Grenville and Carillon canal, township of the same name, county of Argetteuil, district of Terrebonne. A French bunstone quarry has been discovered in this township. A railway connects this place and Carillon. Montreal Teiegraph Co. has an office, distant trom Carillon 13 miles, from Lachute 16 miles and from Montreal 61 miles. Population about 800
Grenville is a village municipality in the Argenteuil Regional County Municipality of the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada. It is located opposite Hawkesbury, Ontario, on the Ottawa River. Wikipedia
MUDDY BRANCH,
A small village in the parish of St. Philippe, township of Chatham, county of Argenteuil, district of Terrebonne, Distant from Lachute 5 miles. Population about 400.
LACHUTE.
A town on the North River, a tributary of the River Ottawa, county of Argenteuil, district of Terrebonne, It is the county seat and the Circuit Court is held in the town. There is also exensive water power. The Montreal Telegraph company has an office. Distant from Montreal 45 miles, Population about 1000, A large lumber business is done in the village, There is a Roman Catholic Church and a Protestant Church.
Lachute is a town in southwest Quebec, Canada, 62 km northwest of Montreal, on the Rivière du Nord, a tributary of the Ottawa River, and west of Mirabel International Airport. It is located on Autoroute 50, at the junctions of Quebec Provincial Highways Route 148, Route 158, and Secondary Highways 327 and 329. Wikipedia
ST. HERMAS.
A rising village in the county of Two Mountains, district of Terrebonne. Distant from Ste. Scholastique 7 miles and from Montreal 39 miles. Popuiation of village about 400, of parish about 2500, There is a Roman Catholic Church.
ST. SCHOLASTIQUE.
Large and beautiful village on Belle Riviere, district of Terrebonne, county of Two Mountains. It is the chef-lieu of the county, the court of Queen's Bench, the Superior and the Circuit courts, and the county registry office, under the care of D. Dupras, registrar, are located in the village. Ste. Scholastique possesses a wool factory and a flour mills, tanning, lumber and good general business. The Montreal Telegraph Co. has an office. Distant from Montreal 33 miles. Population about 1500. A Roman Catholic Church and a Jail are erected in the village.
The village of Sainte-Scholastique, Quebec, Canada, was the historic seat of Deux Montagnes County from 1834 until its amalgamation with neighbouring towns in 1971. Two years later, it was renamed to Mirabel. Wikipedia
ST. AUGUSTIN.
A village on the river du Petit Chicot, parish of St. Augustin, county of Two Mountains, district of Terrebonne, distant from Montreal 26 miles, Population about 400.
ST. LIN.
A large and flourishing village on the l'Achigan river, county of l'Assomption, district of Joliette, It was an incorporated village, in the year 1858, but has since been re-united to the parish for municipal purposes. A large quantity of deals and other lumber is manufactured. There is an extensive trade in grains;-pro- duce, etc. North West of the mills, on little river, about half a mile above its junction with the l’Achigan river, there are entire thick beds of chazy, limestone formation, yielding a fine building stone, Red, black and grey stones are also met with, and yield a good marble, Five hotels are erected in the village, two of them, viz : The Depot Hotel kept by D, Martel and another kept by ‘Theophile Davis, are highly recommendable. Three doctors and two notaries are established in the village. The parish of St. Lin, dismemberment of St. Roch de l’Achigan, is bounded on the north by the township of Kilkenny, on the south, by Terrebonne and St. Henri de Mascouche,..on the east, by St. Roch de l’Achigan, and on tho west, by New- Glasgow. ‘The soil is very fertile. Seventy years ago, St, Lin was an immense forest, and a. great number of farmers still leaving were its first settlers. It was erected into a parish on the 12th November 1828; and its first residing curate, the rev.M. Augustin Blanchet, came there in 1835, and died on the “2nd day of January 1841, A convent under the cares of the Sisters des Saints Noms de Jesus et de Marie, was erected in 1848. In 1865 a model school was erected in the village, the direction of which was given to L. Réné, a graduate of the Jacques-Cartier and Normal school. The river l’Achigan offer extensive water power and several grists, saw and flour mills are in active operation.
On the north shore of the l’Achigan river is situated the large brewery of St. Lin, which unfortunately is now close. An aqueduct made by MM. Jules Ethier and F. Thérien to the cost of $4,000 furnishes water to the village. ‘The pipes starts from the Petite Riviere rank, where is to be found a basin capable of containing 2000 tons of water. Its total length is 4 miles.
There is in the village a Roman Catholic Church and an office of the Montreal Telegraph Co.
ST. JEROME.
An incorporated village on the North River, county and district of Terrebonne. ‘The Bishop of Quebec, the reverend M. Plessis, erected the parish of St. Jerome in 1832. The Holy Services were then celebrated in a house situated on the shore of the river, a mile and a half of the present church. ‘The geographical posi-tion of St. Jerome, half being situated on a plain and the other half on the-declivity of the Laurentides, makes it a large flourishing and most promising village, ‘The reverend M. Blyth was the first resident curate of the parish in 1837, and it was under his care that the church and presbytery were completed.
‘During the political troubles in 1837, many of its inhabitants were wounded or killed at the battle of St. Eustache.
‘The parish forms part of three counties, viz: that of Argenteuil, Lake of Two Mountains and that of Terrebonne. ‘The soil is very fertile, crystalline limestone, containing considerable admixture of magnetic iron, ore and quartz, has been observed along the river. ‘There is a peat bog on the road from St. Janvier (a station of the Q. M. O, and O. Railway) having an area of about 58 of a square mile, and a depth of from 2 to 18 feet. The level of the village is 116 feet above that of Mile- End (St. Jean-Baptiste Village). The river du Nord, on which a small steamboat runs. as far as Lachute, crosses the whole length of the village. Two miles from the village, the sight present a magnificent panorama, which compete with any in the Dominion. It is the chef-lieu of the county. It contains several grists and saw mills, a foundry, a boot and shoe factory and an extensive woollen factory; a commercial college, a convent under the care of the Soeurs de Ste. Anne, a court house and several hotels, two of which, one called l‘Hotel Grignon and the other l’Hotel Beaulieu, are highly recommandable.
‘The North River affords excellent water power, An aqueduct capable of furnishing water to a population of 20,000 inhabitants, is also constructed here. St. Jerome was incorporated in’ the year 1856,”
‘The numerous’ lakes on the mountains offer extensive trout fishing. Tho Montreal ‘Telegraph Co. has an office, Population of the parish 4000, of which the village alone numbers 2000. Distant from Montreal 30 miels by the Q.M. O. and O. Railway.
The North river, which crosses the village of St: Jerome, runs its water, sometimes slowly and sometimes rapidly on a rock bed, having a declivity of 305 feet in the space of 3 1/2 miles. ‘The basin in front of the Church, has a length of 20 acres and a depth of 30 feet in low waters.
St. Jerome is the center of a large business, and the key and only way of communication to the numerous cantons of the North and of the north-west, which tends to a distance over 60 miles from the village.
STE. THERESE,
Incorporated village on the north branch of the River Ottawa and on the River aux Chiens, county and district of Torrebonne. This village has a considerable flour and distilling business. A large and well conducted college, one of the most renowned institution on the north shore of the River St: Lawrence. This college was founded in 1825, by the Reverend M. C. J. Duscharme, at the time curate of Ste. ‘Thérese, and erected as a seminary in 1841, by the Bishop of Montreal, the Reverend. M. J. Bourget. Near the Roman Catholic Church a convent, under the care of the Ladies of La Congrégation de Notre-Dame, ‘The college and convent, surrounded by promenades, gardens, groves and other attractions, makes the admiration of visitors. There is also in the village, a Presbyterian church and five hotels, one of which, called the Pacific Hotel, is highly recommended. - Ste. ‘Therese is the junction station of the St. Jerome and St. Lin railways. Distant from Montreal 19 miles. Population about 2000.
STE. ROSE.
Extensive village on the south shore of the River Ottawa, Isle Jesus, parish of Ste. Rose de Lima, county of Laval, district of Montreal. This village is renowned by its famous fisheries, around the numerous Island scattered in the River Ottawa. Distant from Montreal 16 miles. Population about 1000. There is a Roman Catholic Church, and two 1arge hotels. Several Montreal families, pass the summer months in this village,