Hawkesbury

History

Hawkesbury was founded in 1798, and named after Charles Jenkinson, Baron Hawkesbury.
Thomas Mears and David Pattee, two Americans, entered into a partnership in 1805 to harness the power of the lower Ottawa River and built the first sawmill on the Upper Canada side of the river. The town of Hawkesbury developed around this mill. Demand for timber during the Napoleonic Wars created a boom. The mill complex continued to grow for at least the next half century, and by 1870 it included 145 different saws and created over 35 million board feet of lumber per year.
Timber and pulp-and-paper industries have been supplanted by textiles, synthetic fibres, metal extrusions, steel, glass and plastics. Hawkesbury has also become the business and service centre of the county of Prescott-Russell, although Rockland has become the largest community. New developments today are happening due to baby boomers from Ottawa, Montreal and area purchasing some of the many new condos in town.

Hawkesbury is on Prescott and Russell County Road 17, a former routing of Highway 17. The Trans-Canada Highway with connects with Highway 417 eastwards to Montreal. Hawkesbury also connects to Highway 417 westward to Ottawa through a 17-km spur of Highway 34.
The Long Sault Interprovincial Bridge between Hawkesbury, Ontario and Grenville, Quebec, means that Hawkesbury is within minutes of Highway 50 and Route 148.
The town is served by two small private airports:

• Hawkesbury Airport
• Hawkesbury (East) Airport

• Hawkesbury Taxi +1 613-632-2596
• MS Taxi +1 613-632-2141

• L'Orignal Old Jail

  phone: +1 613-675-4661
  address: 1023 Rue Queen, L'Orignal
  The oldest jail in Ontario and the second oldest jail in Canada. The L'Orignal Old Jail is a historic building where you can experience the penitentiary atmosphere of long ago.

• Le Centre culturel Le Chenail

  address: 2 John St
  Cultural centre for the promotion of francophone culture. Recycl'art Hawkesbury - outdoor sculpture exhibition (May 27, 2018 to March 31, 2019 1PM-10PM): Exhibition of recycled objects sculptures by Canadian artists known for their artistic creativity.

At this point the Ottawa River is wide and good for boating and sailing. Nearby on the Rouge River, whitewater activities such as rafting, kayaking and canoeing are popular.

• Rafting Nouveau Monde

  address: 25 Chemin Des Sept Chutes, Grenville-sur-la-rouge

Gas prices in this region are generally lower (i.e. 5-10 cents per litre) than in Montreal and Ottawa.

• Bakery Le Petit Pain

  phone: +1 613-632-4486
  address: 245 Main St E
  Soups, sandwiches, salads.

• Stephanie's Grill & Bar

  phone: +1 613-632-2783
  address: 1686 Highway 34

• Le Vieux Chateau Restaurant

  phone: +1 613-632-9877
  address: 797 McGill St
  Steaks, seafood, pasta, pizza, chicken, Chinese....

• Quality Inn & Suites

  address: 1575 Tupper St
  Indoor heated pool, fitness centre, restaurant bar & grill, business centre, free wireless high-speed Internet access in all rooms.

• Stephanie's Hotel

  phone: +1 613-632-2783
  address: 1686 Highway 34
  Two double beds or One queen bed in jacuzzi room. 15 rooms. Free Internet access.

• Voyageur Provincial Park, +1 613-674-2825, , is few miles east of Hawkesbury.