Cantley 1889 Articles
The following article first appeared in The Echo of Cantley Volume 34 no 9, April 2023. This article is made available for the enjoyment of others with the express permission of the Echo of Cantley.
Cantley’s Natural Cultural Heritage
Mont Cascades-Lorne Mountain
John Almstedt
Cantley’s Mont Cascades-Lorne Mountain highland includes 600 acres of forested hills along the Gatineau River shoreline. It is zoned récréo-touristique and is privately-owned, yet most of its natural features remain intact.
Artists, nature-enthusiasts, hikers and snowshoers have enjoyed these hills for at least 150 years. Canada's fourth Governor General, Lord Lorne (1878-83), visited the highland so often that locals began referring to one hill as Lorne Mountain.
The highland will be forever immortalized in the masterpieces of Group of Seven artists J.E.H MacDonald and A.Y. Jackson who painted sketches of the hills between 1904 and 1960.
Prime Minister Lester Pearson (1963-68) admired the Mont Cascades view from his family cottage across the river and visited Cantley to hike its hills.
The summit of Mont Cascades has the highest lookout from Ottawa to Low. As the 1906 “Ottawa Journal” article describes:
“Only those who have attempted to reach an altitude of 600 feet through thick shrubbery and over precipitous rocky ledges can form any idea of the physical effort involved in carrying out such an undertaking. After one hour and a one-half of steady climbing the summit was reached and the view southward therefrom which baffles description simply repaid the effort. The panoramic view covered a tract of country at least 48 miles south and a dozen east and west showing up the meandering river, hamlets and towns and the Capital of the Dominion, Ottawa with its many towers piercing the skies. After enjoyment to the full of the view and the partaking of an impromptu lunch at the summit the party returned about 1 p.m. weary and worn but all delighted with the outing.”
Such a vista can provide deep emotional attachment. The cremated ashes of Thomas Maxwell and Katie Burnett are marked by two plaques embedded in the rock of Mount Cascades. The “Echo” (August 2021) recounts “...the elders talk of a man who so loved the hills he chiseled out a hole in the granite where he was cemented in forever.”
John Clifford’s obituary (“Globe and Mail”, July 16, 2002) describes him as a “ski pioneer” and “the father of popular skiing”. He spent seven decades in the sport, as a racer, ski area developer, instructor and ski resort owner. He brought snow-making technology to Canada which added almost two months to the alpine ski season each year. In 1974 Clifford opened the ski hill at Mont Cascades and created a cross-country ski trail around the mountain. His vision was to also make a trail connecting Mont Cascades, Edelweiss and Mont Ste Marie. In 1976, Piste de Gatineau opened to Edelweiss and hosted its first annual family loppet. By 1977 it was developed well enough to host the Ontario Secondary School cross-country ski championship. Unfortunately, Clifford was forced to sell the ski hill and its network of trails that same year.
Renewed interest in the trails occurred in 1989-90 when eight cottagers along the river purchased 100 acres on the river side of Mont Cascades and began expanding trails to the summit. By 1992, retaining the property became unsustainable and it was sold to Mont Cascades Ski Centre.
Today, the forest is habitat for many wildlife species including the endangered, black-billed cuckoo and whip-poor-will. The diversity of trees, many older than 120 years, is impressive: Sugar Maple, Bitternut Hickory, American Beech, Butternut, White Oak, Eastern Hemlock, Rock Elm, Willows, White Pine, Red Oak, Poplar, White Birch, Yellow Birch. The river littoral zone, wetlands, and Canadian Shield ecosystems are also present and remain healthy for study and enjoyment.
The incredible biodiversity and ecosystems of the iconic Mont Cascades-Lorne Mountain highland still remain intact. But for how long?
