The
Chaudière Falls are 35 meters high. They are the latest and most
significant drops in Chaudière River . The
falls can be found at the north end of the river flowing over 185
km to the St. Lawrence River.
Areas
Picnic as well as walking or cycling trails, embellished interpretation panels
are constructed.
The
bridge is a suspension bridge 113 meters long and suspended 23
meters above the river. Visitors can cross to observe the falls and
the hydroelectric plant.
History
Nomadic tribes
Europeans
The city of Lévis full of Indian artifacts dating back more than 10,500 years before our era. There are about 8 000 to 9 000 years ago, nomadic tribes remained in the vicinity of Chutes-de-la-Chaudière. Indeed, many remnants of settlements have been discovered during archaeological excavations at the site. Moreover, artifacts are on display in the reception building, demonstrating the diversity of the objects found.
The city of Lévis full of Indian artifacts dating back more than 10,500 years before our era. There are about 8 000 to 9 000 years ago, nomadic tribes remained in the vicinity of Chutes-de-la-Chaudière. Indeed, many remnants of settlements have been discovered during archaeological excavations at the site. Moreover, artifacts are on display in the reception building, demonstrating the diversity of the objects found.
More
recently, when Samuel de Champlain explored the river from 1628, Native
Americans were also in the area. The Chaudière River is
the main channel of communication between New England and Quebec, we know it
was borrowed by the Abenaki . Also,
from 1683 to 1700, the Jesuits occupied the Saint-François-de-Sales Mission at
the mouth of the river.
Finally,
in 1775, at the time of the U.S. invasion , the soldiers of Colonel Benedict Arnold camped
in the vicinity of Chutes-de-la-Chaudière before crossing to Quebec.
Hydropower
potential
A
central hydro was built
in 1901 by the Canadian Electric Light Company on the site to take advantage of
the drop falls and thus feed the south shore of Quebec. The power
generated was 1,000 kW beginning and quickly grew to 3,500 kW.
In
1970, a major flood caused the failure of the dam, causing the demolition of
the plant. The land then became property of the Government of Quebec,
which was first a bus stop , then
that has transformed the area into a park.
The
reconstruction of the dam and a new plant by Innergex Company has signed a deed
of transfer of the park to the towns of Charny and Saint-Nicolas in 1998. existing plant can generate a power
of 24,000 kW which is enough to power about 5,000 families. In addition, a
bike path was completed in 2002.
Opposition to the
construction of the hydroelectric plant
We continued on to Parc Omega where we had the opportunity to view some of the animals found in the region in an open range environment. Deer even came up to the bus to be hand fed carrots. We also had our first good views of the leaves changing to their autumn colours.
Parc Omega
Parc Omega is a safari
park in Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours, Quebec, Canada (just north of Montebello). Along a
twelve-kilometre nature route are lakes, meadows, small valleys, forests, and
rocky hills. It is home to much wildlife including moose, bears, raccoons, and
wolves. During the summer there are shows featuring birds of prey. The site also
has a restaurant with a panoramic view. The park is open daily, year round.
The park is a
drive-through experience, meaning visitors stay in their cars and drive through
the park on a winding trail. They also offer 3 walking trails, playgrounds and
picnic areas.
T
On leaving Parc Omega we continued on to Canada's national capital, Ottawa, driving through the city before arriving at our hotel, the Chateau Laurier.
The Fairmont Chateau Laurier
The Fairmont
Château Laurier is a
660,000-square-foot hotel with 429 guest rooms in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, located near the intersection of Rideau
Street and Sussex
Drive and designed in the French Gothic Châteauesque
style to complement the adjacent Parliament buildings. The
hotel is above the Rideau Canal locks and overlooks the Ottawa River. The main
dining room (now the Laurier Room) overlooks Major’s Hill Park. The reception
rooms include the Wedgewood-blue Adam Room; the Laurier Room defined by Roman
columns; the Empire-style ballroom and the Drawing Room featuring cream and
gold plaster ornament. The hotel was designated a national historic site in
1980.
History
Grand
Trunk Railway 1909–1923
Château Laurier was commissioned by Grand Trunk Railway president Charles Melville
Hays, and was constructed for $2 million, between 1909 and 1912 in
tandem with Ottawa's downtown Union Station (now the Government Conference Centre) across the street. The two
buildings were connected with a tunnel. When the hotel first opened, private
rooms cost $2 a night; 155 of the 350 bedrooms featured a private bath while
the other 104 rooms had washstands with hot and cold water connections. In
addition dormitories and common bathrooms were available as were rooms for
travelling salesmen with sample tables to display goods.
The hotel features original Tiffany stained glass
windows and hand-moulded plaster decorations dating back to 1912. The walls
were constructed of Indiana limestone. There are conical turrets and dormer
windows and the roof is copper. The gables are carved with flowers, scrolls and
crests. The lobby floors were constructed of Belgian marble.
The plans for the hotel initially generated some
controversy, as the Château was to be constructed on what was then a portion
of Major's Hill Park. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, then the Prime Minister of Canada, helped secure the important
site for the construction, and the hotel was eventually named in his honour.
Laurier's government was also subsidizing the Grand Trunk Railway's Pacific Line Further conflict ensued when the original
architect, Bradford Gilbert, from New York was dismissed due to disagreements with Grand Trunk
executives, and the Montreal firm
of Ross and Macfarlane was hired to complete the design. The hotel’s architects were from
the Montreal firm Ross and MacFarlane.
The hotel
was to be opened on 26 April 1912, but Hays, who was returning to Canada for
the hotel opening, perished aboard the RMS Titanic when it sank on 15 April. A
subdued opening ceremony was held on 12 June 1912, with Sir Wilfrid Laurier in
attendance. The sub-basement housed laundry, repair shops, engineering and
electrical departments. A barber shop was added in 1918.
Canadian
National Railway 1923–1988
When the Grand Trunk became part of the Canadian National Railway in 1923, the Château
Laurier became one of CN's most important hotels] In addition
to hotel guests, the Château Laurier has also served over the years as the home
of two important Ottawa institutions. From July
1924 to October 2004, the seventh and eight floors at the top were home to
the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's local English and French
language radio stations. Photographer Yousuf Karsh maintained his studio and
residence at the Château Laurier for many years.
In 1929, a $6-million east wing addition by
Montreal architect John Archibald and CN’s architect John Schofield along
Mackenzie Avenue added 240 rooms. Although the exterior of the addition was
French-inspired, the interior lobby resembled an English or Scottish baronial
hall with dark-oak panelling, a railed gallery overlooking the double-height
space and trophies of the hunt. The lobby led to a convention hall, music room and
gentlemen’s lounge. The ballroom featured vaulted ceiling, columns and rich
drapes. The ultra-modern kitchen was designed to cater to up to 5,000 people.
The Jasper Tea Room designed by Edwin Holgate in 1929, featured Pacific
Coast aboriginal art, columns carved into totem poles surrounding a dance
floor, and lamps decorated with motifs of bears, eagles and crows. From
1929–1991, the Canadian Grill was a softly-lit and dark-panelled below-ground
restaurant where diners ate the speciality, roast prime rib of beef au jus and
danced to live music. In 1930, the hotel added a 60-foot indoor pool in Art
Deco style. In the 1930s and 1940s, the “therapeutic” spas offered electric
therapy, ultra-violet ray lamps and alternate streams of hot and cold water to
clients with nervous afflictions, polio or back problems.
For years, the hotel thrived, playing host to
royalty, heads of state, political figures, celebrities and members of Canada's
elite. R.B. Bennett lived
in a suite in the hotel during his term as Canadian prime minister, from 1930
to 1935.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the construction of
numerous competing hotels in the capital, as well as the closure of Union
Station, led to a slow decline in the Château's fortunes.
In 1965, the Jasper Lounge was redecorated into a
mock English tavern called the Cock and Lion with oak and old brick walls. The
union went to court to protest management's decision to replace waiters with
young women in low-cut tops to serve in the new pub, but lost. In 1981, the
hotel was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. The Westin Hotel opened
across the street in 1983. A $21-million renovation was undertaken in the 1980s
to refurbish and renovate the Château Laurier, however, thus restoring its
position as Ottawa's pre-eminent hotel. A new canopied front entrance was
added. The lobby’s dark wood was lightened and the animal trophies were
removed. The barber shop was removed. The fourth floor featured a separate
lounge and concierge desk. The smoke shop became the Reading Room. The Cock and
Lion lounge was replaced a sky lit boutique mall. In 1985, Zoe’s Lounge opened
in a new glassed-in area overlooking Rideau Street.
By 1991, Peacock Alley, which was broad corridor on
the main level that extended along the west side of hotel was replaced by
Wilfrid’s, featuring views of the Parliament Buildings, the Rideau Canal locks
and the Ottawa River.
The hotel was operated by Canadian National Hotels until the chain was
purchased by Canadian Pacific Hotels in 1988.
Fairmont Hotels
and Resorts 1999–
In 1999, it was renamed the Fairmont Château
Laurier after Canadian Pacific Hotels bought the American Fairmont hotel chain
and changed its name to Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.
The new look was provided by Wilfrid’s on the main
level, its big windows giving light and views of the Parliament Buildings, the
Rideau Canal locks and the Ottawa River.
The hotel is just metres away from some of the
capital's most important landmarks including Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal, the National Gallery of Canada, the Byward Market, the National War Memorial, the U.S. Embassy, and the Rideau Centre. Given its proximity to these
buildings and the fact that it has served as a home and meeting place for many
notable political figures over the years, the hotel has often been referred to
as "the third chamber of Parliament".
The hotel was the inspiration for the "Hotel
du Canada" at the Canada (Epcot) pavilion in Orlando,
Florida. In 2000, the Royal Architectural Institute of
Canada chose
the building as one of the top 500 buildings produced in Canada during the last
millennium. Coinciding with its 100th anniversary, Fairmont Château Laurier was
included amongst other architecturally interesting and historically significant
buildings in Doors Open
Ottawa, held
June 2 and 3, 2012.
Haunting
The Château Laurier Hotel is said to
be haunted, with numerous guests reporting to have seen the ghost of Charles
Melville Hays and experiencing paranormal activities. Stories of the haunting
began when Charles Melville Hays died on his return voyage on the RMS Titanic from Europe
12 days before the hotel's opening. Stories suggests that Hays' ghost rests
within the hotel due to its significant importance to his life, and the fact
that he never witnessed the grand opening due to his death. Guests have also
reported seeing the ghost of a small child and experiences the feeling of
"being watched" the moment they enter the hotel. Other guests have
also reported eerie sounds from the hotel and unexplained shaking.
