megram - Index

megram - magazine - Index

a town in 1892. Another important family in Arnprior’s history was
the Gillies family. Four brothers established their lumber firm
there and became one of the major producers of lumber in the
Ottawa Valley, well into the 20th century. Trees were plentiful and
easy access to the Ottawa River made log transportation by water
economically viable.
The Gillies name is also associated with another place that sets
Arnprior apart — Gillies Grove.
This 18-hectare (45-acre) tract of land, which was bought and
set aside for public use by David Gillies in the 1930s, was eventually
preserved for all to enjoy following a local Save the Grove campaign
in the 1990s, with the Nature Conservancy of Canada now
overseeing the preservation and maintenance of this old-growth
forest, grown after a fire in the 18th century. There is a lovely selection
of beech, maple, basswood, hemlock and towering white pine,
with some reaching 53 metres (175 feet) high. The Grove also har-
Arnprior's main shopping street,
John Street North, has some
interesting small shops to visit.
bours many species of birds such as
Scarlet Tanagers, Pileated Woodpeckers,
Red-shouldered Hawks and Barred Owls,
as well as many unusual plants. There are
trails throughout the Grove, open to the
public, and a walk in the Grove bathed in
light and shade is a feast for the eyes and
the soul.
If you want to be orderly about a visit
to Arnprior, the best thing to do is to drop
into the Public Library, which is just across
the bridge on the right on Madawaska
Boulevard (there’s a parking lot beside
it), where you can ask for the Walking
Trail Brochures. They are free and will
give you several options to follow. The
McLachlin Trail will take you along the
east side of the Madawaska River in
Arnprior; the Gillies Trail explores Daniel
McLachlin Park and Bell Tower, Robert
Simpson Park, the stone mansion built by
Daniel McLachlin in 1853 and now used
as a renewal and retreat centre, plus
Gillies Grove; the Macnamara Nature
Trail; and the Heritage Trail. The
Mcnamara Trail commemorates the work
of Arnprior field naturalist Charles
Macnamara, whose photographs of plants
and the lumber trade are famous worldwide.
The Heritage Trail, which covers a
distance of 2.9 kilometres (1.8 miles), has
an amazing wealth of beautiful buildings
on it — 16 in total. One of the most stunning
buildings is in view as you enter
Arnprior. It’s now the Arnprior and
District Museum, which is definitely worth
a visit in itself. The building was designed
as a post office by Thomas Fuller, Chief
Architect of the Department of Public
Works, who also designed the Parliament
Buildings. Constructed of limestone
obtained in nearby Perth and Aylmer, and
red sandstone transported from New
Brunswick, it opened in 1897.
There’s the former Arcade
Department store, known as the tallest
building in the Upper Ottawa Valley when
it was first built in the 1880s, the O’Brien
Theatre, which was built in 1906, and the
stone church, built as St. Andrew’s
Presbyterian Church in 1890, as well as
the original Presbyterian manse, built in
1864. It’s a pleasure just to walk around
and see some of these fine old buildings.
If you’re feeling peckish, you might
want to pop over to John Street North to
Ottawa Page 15 Due West/Due East Magazine • Fall 2008