Gatineau Privilege
Encyclopedia
The Gatineau Privilege referred to a monopoly
introduced to limit the cutting of timber along the Gatineau River
in Lower Canada
from 1832 to 1843.
Quotas were established for each participant and no other timber companies were allowed to cut wood in that area. The participants were:
The lumber merchants built roads into the area and established farms to take care of the animals used to remove the logs.
In 1843, the Crown Timber Act brought an end to the Gatineau Privilege. Cutting rights for all crown lands were purchased at an office in Bytown
, the former name of Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada
.
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
introduced to limit the cutting of timber along the Gatineau River
Gatineau River
The Gatineau River is a river in western Quebec, Canada, which rises in lakes north of the Baskatong Reservoir and flows south to join the Ottawa River at the city of Gatineau, Quebec...
in Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
from 1832 to 1843.
Quotas were established for each participant and no other timber companies were allowed to cut wood in that area. The participants were:
- several descendants of Philemon WrightPhilemon WrightPhilemon Wright was a farmer and entrepreneur who founded Wrightstown, the first permanent settlement in the National Capital Region of Canada...
:- Ruggles WrightRuggles WrightRuggles Wright was a Canadian lumber merchant, the youngest son of Philemon Wright.He was born in Woburn, Massachusetts but moved to Canada with his parents while still young. He later joined the family business in the timber trade. In 1829, he built the first timber slide on the Ottawa River to...
- Tiberius Wright
- Christopher Columbus Wright
- Ruggles Wright
- Peter AylenPeter AylenPeter Aylen was a timber producer and later public official who was, for a time, known as "King of the Shiners"....
- Thomas McGoey, a son-in-law of Philemon Wright, Jr.
- George Hamilton
- Charles Adamson Low
The lumber merchants built roads into the area and established farms to take care of the animals used to remove the logs.
In 1843, the Crown Timber Act brought an end to the Gatineau Privilege. Cutting rights for all crown lands were purchased at an office in Bytown
Bytown
Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Canada's capital city. It was founded on on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a sod turning, and a letter from Governor General...
, the former name of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.