History of Brown Lake

At the end of January 2011 Ken Bouchard on behalf of the Friends of Gatineau Park led about 30 people into the woods; and back through time. We all trooped in on snowshoes to discover the origins of Brown Lake Cabin.

Here follow a series of video and audio files that let you share the experience, even though you might have missed it.

Below Ken guides us through history using some maps.

Below Duncan Marshall tells us about aerial photography in the area before Ken shows us some aerial shots around Brown Lake.

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Here’s a link to a Gatineau Valley Historical Society piece that Duncan wrote for the publication Up the Gatineau!.

Below Ken continues with his talk and shows us some pictures of the people who lived near Brown Lake.

Finally, below Michael Cooper tells us about his involvement in the appearance on the site of the Brown Lake Cabin.

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Friends of Gatineau Park is a charitable organization whose volunteers work to foster understanding, appreciation and stewardship of the Park’s natural and human heritage. The $10 fee charged for this event supports scientific research and education programs in the Park.

Ken guided us to the ruins of old farm buildings, explained how the seemingly primeval forest had actually been farm fields not so long ago, and showed us a mouldering post marking the four corners of the townships of Eardley, Masham, Wakefield &  Hull.

Once we reached the Brown Lake Cabin we enjoyed hot cider with our packed-in lunch while Ken, Duncan Marshall and Michael Cooper entertained us with a slide show on the history of the area including aerial photographs and the origin of the cabin in which we were sitting.