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26-848: The tunnel runs in a north/south direction from Water Street, for a distance of 527 m (1,730 ft). It passes underneath what is now Brockville City Hall, built in 1863–64 as the Victoria Hall. It was built by the Brockville and Ottawa Railway . The tunnel was designed to provide a rail link from the timber trade of the Ottawa Valley to the Brockville port facilities on the St. Lawrence River ship route. The Brockville and Ottawa Railway , incorporated in 1853, ran from Brockville, through Smiths Falls, to Sand Point , near Arnprior , with

52-606: A branch line from Smiths Falls to Perth . Its first B&OR train left Brockville on January 25, 1859, almost two years before finances permitted completion of the tunnel. The Brockville and Ottawa Railway amalgamated in 1878 with the Canada Central Railway , which was absorbed in 1881 by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). The rail line through the tunnel was later used by special height-shortened steam engines, and then diesel trains into

78-543: A recorded music track playing while one walks through. Adjacent to the tunnel is a refurbished CPR caboose or van, that was donated in 1987 to the city by the Canadian Pacific Railway. A detailed plaque, in both English and French, describes the details and story of how cabooses were formerly part of every train. Today the caboose operates as an escape room experience. Brockville and Ottawa Railway The Brockville and Ottawa Railway ( B&O )

104-553: A song called "Mattawa" on their 2013 album In Our Nature . Mattawa is also mentioned in the Stompin' Tom Connors song " Big Joe Mufferaw ", which references a Canadian folk hero named Big Joe Mufferaw who supposedly "paddled into Mattawa, all the way from Ottawa in just one day." Mattawa is the 16th location (of 90) mentioned in the North American version of Geoff Mack 's country song I've Been Everywhere . Mattawa

130-750: A trail which begins at the Quebec end of the railroad bridge which crosses the Ottawa. Mattawa provides access to numerous dropping off points for canoeing or boating on the Ottawa River. The river acts as a natural border between the hills of the province of Quebec and Ontario. The Mattawa River flows through the Canadian Shield, and wildlife can often be seen and heard. The area offers fishing, camping, and hiking. There are numerous motels, campgrounds, and retreat centres in and around Mattawa. Just west

156-736: Is Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park , on the Mattawa River. The park is also home of the Canadian Ecology Centre , an eco-friendly retreat centre that is facilitated to accommodate business retreats. Algonquin Provincial Park can be accessed from the north side in Kiosk or the east side in Brent . The town and nearby area contain over 200 kilometres (120 mi) of year-round ATV and snowmobile trails, known as

182-423: Is the site of many large wooden statues depicting local historical figures, such as Champlain, Pierre-Esprit Radisson , Médard des Groseilliers , and others. The Mattawa District Museum prominently features a 17 ft (5.2 m) statue of Big Joe Mufferaw , a regional folk hero. The statues are placed widely throughout Mattawa, and in two locations outside the town on nearby Highway 17 . Three crosses are on

208-745: The CP Brockville Sub ) until November 2015, when Via Rail acquired this section for its Ottawa - Toronto service. This Canadian rail transport related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mattawa, Ontario Mattawa is a town in northeastern Ontario , Canada at the confluence of the Mattawa and Ottawa Rivers in Nipissing District . The first Europeans to pass through this area were Étienne Brûlé and Samuel de Champlain . In 1610, Étienne Brûlé and in 1615, Samuel de Champlain were

234-503: The Canada Central Railway ( CCR ), was first chartered in May 1861. The Act authorized the company to build from a point on Lake Huron to a point on the Ottawa River, a very generous geographical provision to say the least. Even more generous and unusual was a land grant of 12,000 acres for every mile completed by September 1870. This legislated land grant would prove highly contentious as well as potentially valuable. Bolckow and Vaughan acquired

260-524: The Conseil Scolaire de District Catholique Franco-Nord. In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Mattawa had a population of 1,881 living in 857 of its 929 total private dwellings, a change of -5.6% from its 2016 population of 1,993 . With a land area of 3.67 km (1.42 sq mi), it had a population density of 512.5/km (1,327.5/sq mi) in 2021. 34% of Mattawanians are Francophone . Mattawa

286-618: The Museum on Explorer's Point, with many other events and attractions around town. Some of the events include a regional talent night, car show , lumberjack competition, and canoe race . Live music is a large part of the Festival, and has in the past included such notable Canadian musicians as April Wine , Trooper , Saga , Loverboy , Honeymoon Suite , Chuck Labelle , David Wilcox , Peter Frampton , Heart , Tom Cochrane and as well as Survivor . Up-and-coming artists from inside and outside

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312-647: The Voyageur Multi Use Trail System (VMUTS). In 2007, Mattawa and the townships of Bonfield , Papineau-Cameron , Mattawan and Calvin were rebranded as a single Mattawa Voyageur Country tourist region, in order to promote the area. Every summer since 1997, the Mattawa Voyageur Days Festival is held the last weekend (Thursday-Sunday) of July. It is organized by the Town of Mattawa. Concerts take place behind

338-497: The area and use the Mattawa River to transport logs to sawmills. In 1881, the railroad was built to Mattawa. It was mostly built by French Canadian labourers. After the railroad's completion, some of these labourers and their families settled in Mattawa (and surrounding areas), bringing with them their culture and heritage. Logging is still an important industry in this region, and nearby provincial parks and wilderness support

364-525: The arrival of the telegraph in 1871 and the railroad in 1880, it became the headquarters of the Timiskaming District . As the fur trade diminished and the population grew, the post became a general store, trading merchandise to supply lumbermen. It closed in the early 20th century (1908 or 1912, depending on source). In the 19th century, Mattawa became a hub for the logging industry, which would harvest large untouched stands of white pine in

390-559: The camping/hunting/fishing tourism industry in Mattawa today. Mattawa is located on the Canadian Pacific Railway Chalk River subdivision, connecting Smiths Falls and North Bay, with an additional connection to Témiscaming , Quebec . Mattawa elected Canada's first-ever Black mayor, Firmin Monestime , in 1963. He served until his death in 1977. In April 2010, the old Mattawa hospital (visible as

416-857: The first Europeans to travel through the Mattawa area. For some 200 years thereafter, it was a link in the important water route leading from Montreal west to Lake Superior . Canoes travelling west up the Ottawa turned left at "the Forks" (the mouth of the Mattawa) to enter the " Petite Rivière " ("Small River", as compared to the Ottawa), before continuing on to Lake Nipissing . Other notable travellers who passed by Mattawa include: Jean Nicolet in 1620, Jean de Brébeuf in 1626, Gabriel Lallemant in 1648, Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Médard des Groseilliers in 1658, La Verendrye in 1731, Alexander MacKenzie in 1794, and David Thompson in 1812. The Mattawa House

442-579: The lapsing CCR charter in 1865 in the belief that the land claim attached to that railway had value, and had the Legislature of the Province of Canada extend the time for completion by five years to 1870. The two companies were later merged under the Canada Central name, and continued to push northward to Mattawa . The line was leased by the Canadian Pacific Railway and merged in 1881, and

468-479: The mid-1970s. The rails and ties were then sold and removed in the 1980s, and the railway tunnel was no longer used as it was built. In 1982, the tunnel was turned over to the City of Brockville by Marathon Realty, the real-estate wing of the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 2016–17, the railway tunnel underwent a major interior rehabilitation to make it possible to travel safely through it on foot. Visitors can now walk from

494-475: The mountain on the east side of the Ottawa River, immediately opposite the mouth of the Mattawa River. In 1686, the Chevalier de Troyes had three crosses erected while leading an expedition to attack English trading posts on James Bay . This let voyageurs more easily spot the entrance to the Mattawa and thereby access the upper Great Lakes. The crosses have been replaced several times. They are accessible via

520-422: The red building in the adjacent image) was demolished amid controversy, since the building was a local landmark for which heritage status was considered. A new Mattawa Hospital had been in service for about a year. The area is also served by the regional hospital in nearby North Bay. The old hospital site is expected to be used for the construction of a new secondary school, funded by the Province of Ontario through

546-620: The region take the stage on the Thursday night. On the Sunday night, at dusk, there is a traditional choreographed fireworks show. Mattawa Voyageur Days celebrated its 10th anniversary in July 2007, selling out of its 7,000 admission wristbands before the event had begun. In 2008, Festivals and Events Ontario listed Mattawa Voyageur Days as one of the Top 100 Ontario Festivals. Blue Rodeo released

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572-422: The south portal to the north portal, exiting at the north-end gorge and up a ramp to street level. Prior to the rehabilitation visitors were only able to enter at the south portal and walk a short distance underground. The railway tunnel has received thousands of visitors since it opened completely on August 12, 2017. It now features a modern LED coloured light system, which is programmed in various ways, along with

598-594: The timber trade on the Ottawa Valley , short-cutting routes that led into the city of Ottawa, further downstream. The first railway tunnel in Canada, the Brockville Tunnel , was dug in order to allow the B&;O to reach the port lands on the south side of the city, which sits on a bluff. In September 1865 the B&O opened for travel to Sand Point near Arnprior on the Ottawa River. A second railway company,

624-557: Was an early railway incorporated in 1853 by the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada with the financial support of English iron-founders, Bolckow and Vaughan, of Middlesborough, England , who were supplying the iron for the railway. It ran north from the town of Brockville on the Saint Lawrence River to Smiths Falls , Perth , Carleton Place , and Almonte . It was built primarily to serve

650-637: Was established by the Northwest Company in 1784. In the 1820s and 1830s, the Hudson's Bay Company (after it had merged with the Northwest Company) sent canoe brigades from their Fort Coulonge Post to the Mattawa River junction in order to trade furs . In 1837, a permanent post was established, but was moved to a new site in the centre of present-day Mattawa in 1843. It was subordinate to Fort Témiscamingue and Fort Coulonge, but after

676-481: Was later extended to North Bay and Sudbury . CP used the original CC routing as their primary access to Ottawa, joining it to the Ontario and Quebec Railway (O&Q) at Perth . The O&Q was later abandoned and replaced by a new line running through Belleville . Much of the original B&O and CCR routes remain in active use. CP maintained ownership of the tracks between Smiths Falls and Brockville (known as

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