YEAR 1916
THE DONNELLY PARISH (20) # 182 English
The year 1916
a) The arrival of the Maisonneuve sawmill
b) Father Dréau’s shack
c) The Immigration Hall
d) Alpohnse Coté’s store and residence
e) Vézina Gamache’s residence
THE DONNELLY SAWMILL
P. Maisonneuve, prop.
Dealer in all kinds of
Building lumber, Casings, Bases, Mouldings
Sash and door frames made to order
When Philias Maisonneuve arrived with his sawmill in 1916, he could not disembark it there due to the workings of Father Falher who managed to put a stop to the train for a short period of time. Mr. Maisonneuve had to disembark the mill at the Pétrin siding, a low level area full of water; it was an impossible place where the sawmill sunk into the swampy area. However Mr. Philias Maisonneuve was very well organized so it did not take him long to set up the sawmill on dry land and have it going to everyone’s great delight. The men who needed to find work did so there, and the women had a residence built of sawed planks rather than logs. At the mill there was a place for the employees, even a kitchen for them; this showed the importance of the mill to the employers. Later, the mill would have its own ball club. In those days there were two ball clubs in Donnelly: the men from the mill against those who lived in the village!
Early in 1916, the Immigration Hall was in the process of being built; Alphonse Coté built his residence and a store. Even Vézina Gamache had his residence built then.
The railroad returned to Donnelly; no options proposed by Father Falher
were accepted.
THE SAWMILL
In April 1916, Mr. Philias Maisonneuve unloaded machinery for his sawmill at the railroad siding at Pétrin’s. He had rented twenty acres of land from Mr. Jean Joli on the corner of quarter section # NW17-7720-W of the 5th along the Peavine Creek. The machinery was heavy and at various stages it would sink into the mud! Horses were used for transportation during these years. Many horses were used to displace or to move things.
What is surprising is that in June of that same year, the sawmill was already functioning. Logs had been hauled during the preceding winter. During the 1916-1917 winter, enough wood for construction had been prepared by the human work-force and the horses. Various buildings had been built: the Immigration Hall, the extension to the mission, the Land Titles Office, (where Mr. Gamache worked), a rectory, a new house for Mr. Télesphore Leblanc and the Royal Bank building, (1917).
During this period, the settlers had very little money, therefore their salary was made by barter and exchange: of work, of grain, of hay, animals, cattle, milk, eggs, etc.
Although my father (Philias Maisonneuve) had come to install the sawmill in Donnelly in order to sell it because right close by was a nearly inexhaustible forest, his intention was to return to Morinville and set up a farm there. However in 1921 he sold his farm in Morinville. Various events had forced this decision, one which was that it would be easier to establish his sons in this area. One needs to add that 90% of the forests here had been destroyed by forest fires, (The region was known as ‘le grand brulé’ the great burnt-out area) even the sawmill was destroyed at various times. In 1919-1920 my father had contracted to furnish 400,000 feet of sawed and planed lumber to be delivered to the lumber yard, Frontier Lumber Co. at Donnelly in 1920. Although the winter had been quite a rigorous one, the contracted wood was delivered on time and it was a good year. In 1922, he bought the quarter section # NW 18-77-20 W of the 5th from David Coté, and in 1923, he bought # NE 13-77-21-W of the 5th. During this same year, we moved to the farm and the sawmill was operated only from March until May; there we sawed and planed only for the farmers up until 1939.
Over the years, this sawmill gave work to many settlers, “good men” as my father used to say. Amongst them were fellows named Audet, Marceau, Fontaine, Pinard, Lafrance, Fortin, Guay, Cimon, Giroux, Servant, Martineau, Bouchard, Hébert, Swan, Barton, Dolan, Nadeau father and son, Tanguay, Desnoyers (my father’s right-hand man), Lussier, Boulanger, Trudel, Désilets, Fortier, Pressoir, Remillard, Beaupré, Moquin, Perry, Sylvestre, and so many others.
My brothers and sisters would agree that it was one of the nicest times of our life, for we had no worries. We met many people. There was always a lot of activity amongst the various animals; we had especially good horses. Our parents were very generous to us, hospitable and joyful even though the work was heavy; they were good providers. It is not surprising that many of us continued our lives in this little corner of earth along the Peavine Creek and in the little hamlet of Donnelly where numerous families honor these descendants for they are the guardians of the exact spot where the colony was born.
When one relives the events of the past, everything seems so recent…62 years, three generations….hard to imagine…FORTUNATE SENEX.
Written by Honoré Maisonneuve, son of Philias.
THE FALHER CHURCH
No one could wait any longer. They had to build a church to accommodate a constantly growing population. There was no doubt, a larger church was needed. There was no more space. Therefore in 1916 the works were begun, but on a church made of logs.
On July 26, a big pic-nic for all French-Canadians was held on the church property.
In August the parish organizers decided to make a second addition to the church Mr. P. Maisonneuve made the plans which were accepted by the church authorities. This addition was made by Donnelly volunteers; Mr. Maisonneuve furnished the wood to the parish (ref. to Gerard Maisonneuve’s book of memoires). When the church project was ended, Mr. Philias Maisonneuve met the church trustees and wrote up his report saying that it had not cost one cent to the Falher parish.
This church built in 1916 is the oldest existing building in the region.
In 1989 Father Desrochers, former pastor at Girouxville, collected a group of people from Girouxville and Donnelly in order to restore the old Falher church which had been abandoned. Gilbert, my husband, a former mill-wright was in charge of the project; he often said that it was a joy for him to work with such good people.
Father Desrochers, aged around 80, made it his duty to phone Gilbert every evening to ask how things had gone at the former church site, and to ask what was planned for the next day.
THE IMMIGRATION HALL
When I mention the various constructions in the small hamlet of Donnelly, it is because the Immigration Hall, as well as Adrien Coté’s store and residence and the Gamache residence were all due to the Maisonneuve sawmill. Finally the people had boards and planks rather than logs for their various constructions.
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