Norway Bay

History

Bristol Township, already shown on the Gale and Duberger Map of 1795, was officially created in 1834. It was named after the City of Bristol in south-west England, known for its port facilities. The first settlers came from England, Scotland, and Ireland, followed later on by settlers from Germany, France, and Poland. In 1845, a post office was established, and in 1855, the township municipality was created together with the neighbouring hamlet of Norway Bay, an area that is now a sought-after resort location on the Ottawa River. Its first mayor was William Craig and the mayor as of November 2009 is Brent Orr. Canada's first horse-drawn railroad was in the Bristol area. It was operated by the Union Forwarding Company, and ran from Pontiac Village bypassing the Chats Falls, to Union Village until 1886. From 1872 to 1894, iron ore was first mined. In 1956, a new open pit iron ore mine and processing facilities were built, employing up to 300 people. This was the first iron ore mining and pelletizing plant built in Quebec. It closed in 1976. On April 24, 2004, the Township Municipality of Bristol was changed to Municipality of Bristol.