Bristol is a municipality in the Outaouais region, part of the Pontiac Regional County Municipality, Quebec

Pontiac Regional County Municipality, Quebec

Pontiac is a county regional municipality MRC Pontiac in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. It should not be confused with the municipality of Pontiac, which is located inside the county regional municipality of Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais....

, Canada. It is located on the north shore of Lac des Chats (part of the Ottawa River

Ottawa River

The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...

) across from Arnprior, Ontario

Arnprior, Ontario

Arnprior is a town in Renfrew County, in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located at the mouth of the Madawaska River, as it enters the Ottawa River in the Ottawa Valley...

.

Its settlements include Bristol, Bristol Mines (Bristol-les-Mines), Bristol Ridge, Caldwell, Doherty, Elmside, Maple Ridge, Maryland, McKee, Norway Bay, and Weirstead.

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

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

 in south-west England, known for its port facilities

Bristol Harbour

Bristol Harbour is the harbour in the city of Bristol, England. The harbour covers an area of . It has existed since the 13th century but was developed into its current form in the early 19th century by installing lock gates on a tidal stretch of the River Avon in the centre of the city and...

.

The first settler

Settler

A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...

s came from England, Scotland, and Ireland, followed later on by settlers from Germany, France, and Poland. In 1845, a post office is established, and in 1855, the township municipality

Types of municipalities in Quebec

The following is a list of the types of local and supralocal territorial units in Quebec, including those used solely for statistical purposes, as defined by the Institut de la Statistique du Québec....

 was created together with the neighbouring hamlet of Norway Bay, 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

Horsecar

A horsecar or horse-drawn tram is an animal-powered streetcar or tram.These early forms of public transport developed out of industrial haulage routes that had long been in existence, and from the omnibus routes that first ran on public streets in the 1820s, using the newly improved iron or steel...

 was in the Bristol area. It was operated by the Union Forwarding Company, and ran from Pontiac Village

Pontiac, Quebec

Pontiac is a municipality in western Quebec, Canada, in Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais Regional County Municipality on the Rivière des Outaouais , created through the forced amalgamation of North and South Onslow, Quyon, Eardlyy, and Luskville. It should not be confused with the Pontiac Regional...

 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

Pelletizing

Pelletizing is the process of compressing or molding a material into the shape of a pellet. A wide range of different materials are pelletized including chemicals, iron ore, animal compound feed, and more.- Pelletizing of iron ore :...

 plant built in Quebec. It closed in 1976.

On April 24, 2004, the Township Municipality of Bristol was changed to Municipality of Bristol.

Demographics

Population:

• Population in 2006: 1210
• Population in 2001: 993
  • 2001 to 2006 population change: 21.9 %
• Population in 1996: 1129
• Population in 1991: 1116

Total private dwellings (excluding seasonal cottages): 506

Languages:

• English as first language: 80 %
• French as first language: 19 %
• Other as first language: 1 %

Tourism and attractions

Norway Bay is a popular summer destination with numerous cottages and some hotels and inns catering to tourists. Also located here is McLellan Park with a public beach and wharf on the Ottawa River.

Other outdoor activities include cycling on the Cycloparc PPJ

Cycloparc PPJ

thumb|220px|right|Cycloparc PPJCycloparc PPJ is a Canadian rail trail located in the Pontiac Regional County Municipality in Quebec, Canada.The PPJ traverses of hills and riverfront and enables hikers and cyclists to tour through points of interest such as Grand Calumet Island, the Vinton Plain...

 trail, golfing on 2 golf courses, boating, fishing, and hiking.

In the winter, snowmobiling

Snowmobile

A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...

can be done on local trails.