Chichester, Quebec

Chichester
Township municipality

Cultural museum in Chichester

Location within Pontiac RCM.
Chichester

Location in western Quebec.

Coordinates: 45°55′N 77°07′W / 45.917°N 77.117°W / 45.917; -77.117Coordinates: 45°55′N 77°07′W / 45.917°N 77.117°W / 45.917; -77.117[1]
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
Region Outaouais
RCM Pontiac
Constituted January 1, 1857
Named for Chichester[1]
Government[2]
  Mayor Donald Gagnon
  Federal riding Pontiac
  Prov. riding Pontiac
Area[2][3]
  Total 235.40 km2 (90.89 sq mi)
  Land 221.39 km2 (85.48 sq mi)
Population (2011)[3]
  Total 368
  Density 1.7/km2 (4/sq mi)
  Pop 2006-2011 Decrease 5.2%
  Dwellings 239
Time zone EST (UTC−5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s) J0X 1M0
Area code(s) 819
Highways No major routes

Chichester is a township municipality and village in the Canadian province of Quebec, located within the Pontiac Regional County Municipality. The township had a population of 368 in the Canada 2011 Census.

Chichester is located along the north shores of the Ottawa River across from Chapeau on Allumette Island.

Its settlements include Chichester and Nichabau. Nichabau, also known as Nicabeau or Nichabong, is a scenic hamlet located northwest of Chichester in what used to be referred to as Poupore's Limits. It is noted for its great number of square log homes. [4]

Geography

The northern part of the municipal territory is sparsely populated and undeveloped, dotted with several lakes including Lake McGillivray. In its centre there are hills some of which reach an altitude of 400 metres (1,300 ft). The southern portion is mostly cleared and used for agriculture, and where the 2 communities are located.[5]

History

The Gale and Duberger Map of 1795 already showed the planned "Chicheter" [sic] Township but it was not officially proclaimed until 1849. It is named after the administrative capital of West Sussex, England.[5]

In 1854, the local post office opened (closed in 1970). In 1855, the township was incorporated as a municipality[6] with John B. Poupore as its first mayor.[4]

Chichester was once a thriving community with numerous sawmills, a grist mill, shingle mill, blacksmith shop and two hotels. In the 19th century (1873-1876), the township tried to boost its economy by petitioning the Federal Department of Public Works[7] to build large wooden locks in the Culbute Channel of the Ottawa River, claimed to be the largest wooden ones in Canada. The locks were meant to allow steamboat travel on the upper portion of the river but this idea never caught on.[4] The Culbute Locks (and associated dam) were in use from 1876 until the fall of 1889 when they were "...abandoned to the forces of the river and Nature's wood-rotting agents..."[7]

Today, the municipality is predominantly dependant on farming, lumbering, and some summer tourism.[4]

Demographics

Population

Historical Census Data - Chichester, Quebec[10]
YearPop.±%
1991 460    
1996 462+0.4%
YearPop.±%
2001 381−17.5%
2006 388+1.8%
YearPop.±%
2011 368−5.2%

Language

Mother tongue:[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Reference number 13173 of the Commission de toponymie du Québec (French)
  2. 1 2 "Chichester". Répertoire des municipalités (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  3. 1 2 3 "Chichester census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Pontiac MRC Gateway: Chichester". Pontiac MRC Gateway. Archived from the original on October 7, 2006. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  5. 1 2 "Canton de Chichester" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  6. "Municipalité de Canton de Chichester" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
  7. 1 2 Clyde C. Kennedy, The Upper Ottawa Valley, Renfrew County Council, Pembroke, Ontario, 1970
  8. 1 2 "2006 Community Profiles". Canada 2006 Census. Statistics Canada. March 30, 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  9. "2001 Community Profiles". Canada 2001 Census. Statistics Canada. February 17, 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
  10. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census



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