Local History

From 1860 to the early 1900s, the St. Francis Valley was the main centre in Canada for the production of slate.

Three components make up the explosive combination of black powder: saltpeter (potassium nitrate), sulphur, and charcoal (carbon).

In its infancy, hydroelectric power in the Eastern Townships was in the hands of a variety of small, local companies.

Beginning in the 1850s, the Eastern Townships were the centre of a massive "copper rush". One of the first copper mines in the area was in Leeds Township.

An animal that was essential to the settlers was the sheep, whose fleece could be used to produce wool.

The first settlers who were granted land in the Eastern Townships promised to build grist mills and roads within the first two years of settlement.

While workers elsewhere were suffering the work shortages and poverty of the worst part of the Great Depression, the "Three Villages" in the early 1930s were enjoying full employment.