Head, Clara & Maria

The purpose of this project is to collect and preserve the history of Head, Clara, & Maria Townships. Two volunteers, Pam Charron and Naomi Balla-Boudreau are spear-heading the project with the support of the Head, Clara & Maria Libray Board and the ICSOH at Nipissing University. The volunteers will spend the summer of 2005 collecting oral history interviews and other material from local residents. Their goal is to publish a series of booklets on the history of the area. The ICSOH is providing technical support and will be a depository for the oral history interviews.

Located in the Upper Ottawa River Valley between Mattawa and Rapides des Joachims, this area was at the centre of the logging industry in the 19th century. The construction of an Ontario Hydro Dam at Rapides des Joachim was a key event in the history of this region as the communities of Mackey and Stonecliffe were flooded and families were forced to move inland.

Today the population of 225 is spread along the Trans-Canada highway and settled in the small hamlets of Mackey, Stonecliffe, Bissett Creek and Deux Rivères. Employment is scarce and young people often move away. It is therefore particularly important to gather the history of this region now when oral history can still capture the memories of the early 20th century and perhaps even stories from earlier generations.

For more information contact:
Pam Charron
Mackey, ON
K0J 2B0
(613) 586-2255
pcharron@magma.ca