The timber trade originally drew settlers to the Gatineau Valley area in the early and mid-1800s, when more accessible lands were opened by the government. These adventurous settlers venture further up the Gatineau River to seek their fortune. They established farms, logged the forests, and sold their timber downriver. Every year the lumber barons would move their shanties further north along the river to harvest more timber. This is how the small towns and communities along the river were originally established.

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Lessons have been designed to provide a general background about the Gatineau Valley. These can be downloaded below or under the resources to the side:

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Lesson #1 Mapping Where I Live 

In small groups students will work to map their own town or village. In order to understand how things have changed over time, they will first look at how their community is currently laid out and will work towards understanding how their town has evolved over the past 100-150 years.

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Lesson #2 Map Detective

Students will compare maps and images of the past and the present to understand the historical evolution of the Gatineau Valley and its relation to their own lives.

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