Published online December 17, 2025, at www.pontiacjournal.com.
Carl Hager
QUYON – The Friends of Chats Falls presented the results of this summer’s archeological dig in the Quyon playground area, next to the community centre and along the Ottawa River. The public presentation was held December 5 at the Quyon Community Centre, with about 20 people in attendance.
The project aimed to locate the original homestead of entrepreneur Philemon Wright, founder of Hull, who is believed to have retired on the site nearly 200 years ago. Michel Prévost, president of the Société d’Histoire de l’Outaouais, emphasized the importance of discovering and protecting the cultural heritage of the site.
Prévost presented Friends of Chats Falls president Deborah Powell with a $1,000 donation to support future archeological work—a valued gift that recognizes the organization’s efforts, including its success in involving local schools and volunteers. Two participating students, Raphaelle Orapala Nana and Thomas Kerr of École secondaire Grande-Rivière in Aylmer, attended with teacher Nicolas Guilbeault-Renaud and spoke about their experience at the dig.
Artifacts uncovered included buttons, cutlery fragments, century-old glass, pottery, animal bones, and a large number of beer caps. According to archeologist Jean-Luc Pilon, who advised the dig, the caps may point to a former tavern or bar on or near the site, with refuse discarded into what may have been a pit later buried by natural processes. He noted that floods, fires, and farming have significantly altered the landscape over time, making hands-on digs essential for understanding local history.
Pilon said additional nearby sites are being considered for future exploration, given the historical significance of the junction of the Quyon and Ottawa rivers.
Audrey Lapointe, a Société d’Histoire administrator and teacher at St. Mary’s School in Quyon, helped organize and sustain the project. She thanked supporters, including the Municipality of Pontiac, which assisted by removing topsoil to give volunteers quicker access to the layers below.
