Sheenboro, Quebec

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Sheenboro
nickname =
motto =


imagesize = 245px
image_caption =


flag_size = 120x100px
image_shield =
shield_size = 120x100px


mapsize =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Canada
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = Quebec
subdivision_type2 = Region
subdivision_name2 = Outaouais
established_title =
established_date =
established_title2 = Incorporation
established_date2 = 1869
government_type = Municipality
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Roy Perrault
area_total_km2 = 571.01
area_land_km2 = 569.97
area_water_km2 =
area_footnotes = [Total area: [http://www.mamr.gouv.qc.ca/cgi-bin/repert1.pl?region=&mrc=&geo=84095&muni= Affaires municipales et régions Québec (MAMR)]
Land area: Statistics Canada]
population_as_of= 2006
population_footnotes = [Statistics Canada 2006 Census]
population_total = 167
population_density_km2 = 0.3
timezone = EST
utc_offset = −5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = −4
postal_code_type = Postal Code
postal_code = J0X 2Z0
latd = 45 | latm = 58 | lats = | latNS = N
longd = 77 | longm = 14 | longs = | longEW = W
elevation_footnotes=
elevation_m =
website = [http://www.sheenboro.info/ www.sheenboro.info/]
footnotes =

Sheenboro is a village and municipality in the Outaouais region, part of the Pontiac Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. Its territory stretches along the north shore of the Ottawa River from Chichester to Rapides-des-Joachims.

Because of its Irish heritage, Sheenboro retained the character of being a Little Corner of Ireland. Primarily dependent on farming and logging, it is also a popular location for tourism, swelling its summer population up to 500 persons. The Fort William Trading Post, including the factor's house and church, is a historical site and heritage village with a popular beach in the summer. It is also home to a sacred Algonquin burial ground cite web |url=http://www.sheenboro.info/english/tourist/tourist_e.asp?p=documents/History_e |title=History of Sheenboro |accessdate=2008-04-15 |publisher=Sheenboro CAP Site] .

Geography

The municipality is sparsely populated, with its population concentrated in the two communities of Sheenboro and Fort William, and along the Ottawa River, all in the south-eastern part of its territory cite web |url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/topos/carto.asp?Speci=378450&Latitude=45,96667&Longitude=-77,23333&Zoom=1700 |title=Municipalité de Sheenboro |accessdate=2008-04-14 |publisher=Commission de toponymie du Québec |language=French] . The isolated hamlets of Schyan Point, located at the confluence of the Schyan and Ottawa Rivers (almost across from Deep River, Ontario), and Fraser Landing, on the Ottawa River in Malakoff Township, are no more than a handful of seasonally-occupied cabins and have no paved road connection to them.

The remainder of the municipality is undeveloped Canadian Shield wilderness, most of which is part of a controlled exploitation zone. Its rugged terrain rises from about m to ft|110|precision=-1 above sea level at the hamlet of Fort William to over m to ft|180|precision=-1 at the village of Sheenboro, reaching m to ft|430|precision=-1 northwest of Trout Lake cite web |url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/topos/carto.asp?Speci=59442&Latitude=46,05&Longitude=-77,18333&Zoom=1700 |title=Canton de Sheen |accessdate=2008-04-14 |publisher=Commission de toponymie du Québec |language=French] . Heading north from the hamlet of Schyan Point, the land rises gradually from m to ft|121|precision=0 to the peak of Mount Martin at m to ft|411|precision=0 cite web |url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/topos/carto.asp?Speci=21347&Latitude=46,13333&Longitude=-77,36667&Zoom=1700 |title=Canton d'Esher |accessdate=2008-04-14 |publisher=Commission de toponymie du Québec |language=French] .

Notable lakes within the municipality include Dufoe, Esher, Manny, McCool, McGillivray, L'Oiseau, and Lackey Lakes, and numerous other bodies of water of lesser importance, such as Sheen, McDonald, Trout, Tremblay, and Greer Lakes .

History

The oldest part of Sheenboro is Fort William, which began as the site of a French fort. In the late 18th century, it became the site of a trading post of the North West Company called Fort-des-Allumettes or Fort-Lac-des-Allumettes , serving over 100 travellers and voyageurs at a time along the Ottawa River . After the fusion of the NWC with the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821, the post was renamed in honour of William McGillivray (1764-1825), NWC director from 1804 to 1821 cite web |url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/topos/carto.asp?Speci=23268&Latitude=45,95111&Longitude=-77,27028&Zoom=1700 |title=Fort William |accessdate=2008-04-14 |publisher=Commission de toponymie du Québec |language=French] .

On the Gale and Duberger map of 1795, the Townships of Sheen, Esher, and Hastings are already shown, even though these townships would not be officially established until several decades later . Respectively, these townships were probably named after an English village in north Surrey County (now the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames), a residential suburb in south-west London, and the English town of Hastings . Hastings Township was renamed to Malakoff in 1856, commemorating the French victory in the Battle of Malakoff cite web |url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/topos/carto.asp?Speci=38191&Latitude=46,2&Longitude=-77,51666&Zoom=1700 |title=Canton de Malakoff |accessdate=2008-04-14 |publisher=Commission de toponymie du Québec |language=French] .

In the 1830s, Irish people, escaping famine and religious persecution, began to settle in the area and in 1848, a post office was opened in Fort William . In 1849, the Township of Sheen was established, and six years later the Township Municipality of Sheen was formed with Thomas Harrington as its first mayor .

In 1869, the townships of Esher, Malakoff, and Aberdeen became part of Sheen, forming the United Township Municipality of Sheen-Esher-Aberdeen-Malakoff. One year later, the Sheenboro post office was opened and a store and hotel was built by Michael Hayes. Shortly after in 1872, the St-Paul-the-Hermit parish church was built after the original church was destroyed by fire .

In 1960, the territory of the former Aberdeen Township was added to Rapides-des-Joachims, but the United Township Municipality retained its full name . In 1968, the post office in Fort William closed .

On October 11, 2003, the name and status of the United Township Municipality of Sheen-Esher-Aberdeen-Malakoff changed to become the Municipality of Sheenboro cite web |url=http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/topos/odo.asp?Speci=59445 |title=Sheen-Esher-Aberdeen-et-Malakoff |accessdate=2008-04-14 |publisher=Commission de toponymie du Québec |language=French] .

Demographics

Population: [Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census]
* Population in 2006: 167
* Population in 2001: 115
** 2001 to 2006 population change: 45.2 %
* Population in 1996: 127
* Population in 1991: 99

Total private dwellings (excluding seasonal cottages): 72

Languages:
* English as first language: 95 %
* French as first language: 5 %

References

Geographic Location (8-way)
Centre = Sheenboro
North =

---