Waltham, Quebec

Waltham
Municipality
Location within Pontiac RCM
Waltham Location in western Quebec
Coordinates: 45°55′N76°55′W / 45.917°N 76.917°W / 45.917; -76.917 [1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Outaouais
RCM	Pontiac
Constituted	January 1, 1859
Government [2]
• Mayor	Odette Godin
•  Federal riding	Pontiac
•  Prov. riding	Pontiac
Area [2] [3]
• Total	402.87 km2 (155.55 sq mi)
• Land	360.19 km2 (139.07 sq mi)
Population  (2021) [3]
• Total	387
• Density	1.1/km2 (3/sq mi)
• Pop 2016-2021	2.4%
• Dwellings	232
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	J0X 3H0
Area code	819
Highways	R-148
Website	www.municipalitedewaltham.ca

Waltham, also known as Waltham Station is a village and municipality in the Outaouais region, Quebec, Canada, part of the Pontiac Regional County Municipality. It is located at the mouth of the Noire River, along the north shore of the Ottawa River at Allumette Island.

Geography

The municipality consists of the hamlet of Carroll and the village of Waltham, both near the Ottawa River ^[4] between Chichester and Mansfield-et-Pontefract, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Fort-Coulonge. ^[1] Quebec Route 148 connects Waltham to Allumettes Island and Pembroke, Ontario.

Its territory, with a maximum elevation of just over 350 metres (1,150 ft), ^[4] is sparsely populated, the majority of the population living along or near the Ottawa River. The northern portion is a vast extended tract of undeveloped land, ^[5] dotted with lakes, such as Findlay, Landon, Gagnon, and Caughlin, which are popular for fishing. ^[1]

History

The name Waltham, mentioned on the Gale and Duberger map of 1795, comes from a place on the River Lea in Essex, England, named Waltham Abbey. In 1849, the Waltham Township was formed. ^[4] In 1859, it was officially reorganized into a township municipality, also named Waltham, ^[1] and its first mayor was John T. Coghlan. ^[5]

Winter view

In 1869, the Bryson Township was annexed, creating the United Township Municipality of Waltham-et-Bryson. The name Bryson comes from George Bryson Sr. (1813–1900), influential logging merchant, and mayor of Mansfield-et-Pontefract. ^[1] In 1888, the railroad from Fort-Coulonge to Waltham was completed but not until August 27, 1894, was the railroad opened by the Pontiac Pacific Junction Railway Company. ^[6] Four years later, in 1898, a post office was established, called Waltham Station. ^[1]

In 1937, a hydroelectric generating station and dam were built across the Noire River just north of Waltham village, forming a reservoir called Robinson Lake. ^[7]

In 1954, the Waltham Lumber Mill & Dry Kilns were built. It was designed by Brodie Gillies to run all year round producing hardwood lumber and commenced operation March 7, 1955. It produced 6 million board feet annually with 40 employees. ^[8]

In 1959, rail service to Waltham is discontinued, and in 1984 the railline was removed and later turned into the Cycloparc PPJ bike path stretching from Bristol, Quebec, to Pembroke, Ontario. ^[9]

In 1997, Waltham-et-Bryson is reorganized into the Municipality of Waltham. ^[1]

In 2007, the wood drying kilns at the town's lumberyard caught fire and closed.^{[ citation needed ]} The property now serves as a storage site for a tree planting company.

In 2009, Waltham celebrated its 150th birthday.

Demographics

Population

Canada census – Waltham, Quebec community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	387 (+2.4% from 2016)	378 (-1.6% from 2011)	384 (6.7% from 2006)
Land area	360.19 km2 (139.07 sq mi)	374.22 km2 (144.49 sq mi)	375.71 km2 (145.06 sq mi)
Population density	1.1/km2 (2.8/sq mi)	1.0/km2 (2.6/sq mi)	1.0/km2 (2.6/sq mi)
Median age	51.6 (M: 51.2, F: 51.6)	50.2 (M: 51.2, F: 48.5)	48.5 (M: 49.4, F: 47.2)
Private dwellings	232 (total)	222 (total)	226 (total)
Median household income	$54,800	$51,840	$51,889

References: 2021 ^[10] 2016 ^[11] 2011 ^[12] earlier ^{[13] [14]}

Historical Census Data - Waltham, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1976 466 —     1981 454 −2.6% 1986 479 +5.5% 1991 466 −2.7% 1996 496 +6.4%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 425 −14.3% 2006 360 −15.3% 2011 384 +6.7% 2016 378 −1.6% 2021 387 +2.4%
Source: Statistics Canada [15]

Language

Mother tongue: ^[3]

• English as first language: 81.8%
• French as first language: 13.0%
• English and French as first language: 3.9%
• Other as first language: 1.3%

1996 UFO Landing

On March 19, 1996, a UFO was reported to have landed in the town's lumberyard. "According to Hector Brochu, a witness of the event, he watched the object, which was described as a diamond shape, 2-1/2 feet high and 2 feet wide, fall to the ground like a feather. It made no noise whatsoever, and was very shiny, as if made of foil. There were no markings whatsoever. The object had what appeared to be a "bulb of mercury" hanging from it. When Brochu got within 10 feet of the object, which he was going to bring home for his daughter, the object rose into the air and remained in a fixed position approximately 150' in the air. Brochu, who ran when the object rose into the air, is 60 years old. The object had landed in a lumber yard. Brochu was able to get 8 people who all saw the object, which remained stationary for about 10 minutes and then left and landed again in what witnesses described as Alouette [sic] Island in the Ottawa River." ^{[16] [17]}

In 2016, unexplained blue and red lights were reported in the sky near Waltham, hovering over the Waltham bridge for 20+ minutes. ^[18]

In 2021, the Waltham UFO Society was established. ^[19]

See also

• List of anglophone communities in Quebec
• List of municipalities in Quebec

References

1. "Municipalité de Waltham" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Archived from the original on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
2. "Waltham". Répertoire des municipalités (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2012-04-02.
3. "Waltham, Municipalité (MÉ) Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
4. "Canton de Waltham" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Archived from the original on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
5. "Waltham municipality". Pontiac MRC Gateway. Archived from the original on October 7, 2006. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
6. "Significant dates in Ottawa railway history". Colin Churcher's Railway Pages. 2006-07-30. Archived from the original on 2006-04-27. Retrieved 2006-08-25.
7. "Barrage de Waltham" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Archived from the original on 2016-01-23. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
8. L. Dougherty (20 June 2020). "Gillies Bros. Timeline" (PDF). www.adarchives.org. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
9. "History of the railroad PPJ". CLD du Pontiac. Archived from the original on 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
10. "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
11. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2019-11-22.
12. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
13. "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
14. "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian Census . Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
15. 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census
16. "UFO ROUNDUP Volume 1 Number 6". www.ufoinfo.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-09. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
17. "Thecid". thecid.com. Archived from the original on 2021-12-18. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
18. Writer, PSICAN Staff. "Waltham QC February 18th 2016 UFO Report". psican.org. Archived from the original on 2021-12-17. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
19. "Waltham UFO Society". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-12-18.

External links

• Official website