Archéo-Pontiac digs into Quyon’s past
Carl Hager
Published online October 8, 2025, at www.pontiacjournal.com.
MUNICIPALITY OF PONTIAC – Along the banks where the Ottawa and Quyon rivers meet, a team of volunteers and archaeologists began unearthing traces of history September 27 at the Quyon municipal park. The site, once part of entrepreneur Philemon Wright’s farmland and timber operation more than 200 years ago, was also a hub for fur trading with First Nations peoples.
Supported by Artefactual, a social-economy enterprise specializing in archaeological events, the project invited residents to take part in the search for artifacts that could shed light on Quyon’s early days. Organized by the Friends of Chats Falls, the free community dig took place over two weekends, September 26 and October 3, while local schools joined in on October 1, 2, 6 and 7. Students from Onslow Elementary, École St-Marie, École secondaire Grande-Rivière, and Pontiac High School were among those who got their hands dirty.
“This is a unique opportunity for citizens to discover the history of their territory, to handle genuine artifacts, and to contribute to the preservation of our collective memory,” said Gina Vincelli of Artefactual.
The Municipality of Pontiac helped prepare the site by having public works crews remove a layer of topsoil before the digging began. Mayor Roger Larose praised the effort, noting that “we are lucky to have the Friends of Chats Falls interested in our history, the history of Quyon. Two hundred years ago, Philemon Wright retired on these very lands. The archaeologists, professionals and volunteers alike, are working where his homestead was thought to have been located.”
As the excavation progressed, small but meaningful finds began to emerge. Local historian Maude-Emmanuelle Lambert, who works with the National Archives in Ottawa, collected artifacts including a musket ball, a corroded key, and fragments of porcelain believed to date to the 18th century. Each piece will be cleaned, examined, and analyzed to learn more about Quyon’s past.
The dig also offered visitors a window into the region’s Indigenous heritage. Artist and craftsman Pinock, from Kitigan Zibi, presented traditional objects such as a birchbark canoe and baskets made from natural materials, explaining how they reflected the skills and culture of the First Nations peoples who once traded with settlers in the area.
Excitement ran high among volunteers and educators alike. Audrey Lapointe, a teacher at École St-Marie and member of the Friends of Chats Falls, said she was eager to see what treasures might surface. Along with retired archaeologist Ian Badgley, she helped guide participants and ensure proper handling of the finds.
Financial support for the project came from the MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais, Caisse Populaire Desjardins, and the Outaouais Historical Society. Together, their contributions helped connect residents of today with the stories buried beneath Quyon’s soil.
Photo – Volunteers Marie-Claude Blanchard, Jean Pierre Knight, and Lynn Bazinet carefully sift through soil at the Archéo-Pontiac dig in Quyon on September 27. (CH)
