Montague, Prince Edward Island
Encyclopedia
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...
town and the largest population centre in Kings County
Kings County, Prince Edward Island
Kings County is located in eastern Prince Edward Island, Canada.It is the province's smallest, most rural and least-populated county. Kings County is also least dependent upon the agriculture industry compared with the other two counties, while being more heavily dependent on the fishery and...
, Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
.
The town straddles the Montague River
The Three Rivers
The Three Rivers is the collective name given to three tidal estuaries in eastern Prince Edward Island, Canada. The water bodies are the Brudenell, Cardigan and Montague rivers, which in 2004 were included on the list of outstanding Canadian Heritage Rivers...
which is the dividing line between the townships of Lot 52
Lot 52, Prince Edward Island
Lot 52 is a township in Kings County, Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is part of St. George's Parish....
and Lot 59
Lot 59, Prince Edward Island
Lot 59 is a township in Kings County, Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is part of St. Andrew's Parish....
. The town functions as a regional service centre for a rural population of 20,000. The town supports two large supermarkets, three hardware stores, a number of independent businesses, and several fast food restaurants, banks, and car dealerships.
Montague is the third largest non-suburban municipality in the province, and is the only town east of Stratford
Stratford, Prince Edward Island
Stratford is a Canadian suburban town located in central Prince Edward Island.It is situated on a peninsula formed by the Hillsborough River estuary, Charlottetown Harbour, and Hillsborough Bay - a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait....
to show notable growth recently.
General information
The town is home to the Kings County Memorial Hospital, provincial government offices, and the Montague Curling Club, along with a elementary, intermediate and regional high school. The past years have seen a number of older homes and commercial buildings replaced with new, suburban style development along Main Street, particularly in the north end. A large scale redevelopment of the town's waterfront has taken place in recent years.Located 44 km east of Charlottetown
Charlottetown
Charlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...
and 15 km southwest of Georgetown
Georgetown, Prince Edward Island
Georgetown is a Canadian town and the county seat of Kings County, Prince Edward Island. As of 2011, the population was 693.-Geography:Georgetown, Capital of Kings County, sits on an 8 kilometre long peninsula formed by the Cardigan and Brudenell Rivers, Along with Georgetown Harbour...
, the town's precise location is 46°10′N, 62°39′W.
History
At the time of Samuel HollandSamuel Holland
Samuel Johannes Holland was a Royal Engineer and first Surveyor General of British North America.-Life in the Netherlands:...
's survey in the 1760s, Georgetown was designated as the shire town of Kings County. The Montague River was the southernmost of three rivers draining the area. Eventually Lower Montague, Montague Road and Montague Bridge were named after the river. The river itself traces its name to either George Brudenell, 4th Earl of Cardigan (later George Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu
George Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu
George Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu, KG PC, FRS was a British peer.He was born George Brudenell in 1712 at Cardigan House, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in London, the son of the 3rd Earl of Cardigan and his wife, the former Lady Elizabeth Bruce...
), John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, PC, FRS was a British statesman who succeeded his grandfather, Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich, as the Earl of Sandwich in 1729, at the age of ten...
, or Montague Wilmot
Montague Wilmot
Montague Wilmot was an 18th century British colonial Governor of Nova Scotia.-Early life:Little is known of Wilmot's origins, such as his exact place of birth, although he was born in England...
, Governor of Nova Scotia (which then included St. John's Island - present-day Prince Edward Island) at the time of Holland's survey. The Garden of the Gulf Museum (c. 1887 to 1888) is on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.
Recent events
Montague is notable as the first community to combine a Wendy's restaurant and a Tim HortonsTim Hortons
Tim Hortons Inc. is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its coffee and doughnuts. It is also Canada's largest fast food service with over 3000 stores nationwide. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade, after an initial venture in...
franchise under one roof. In 1992, the owner of both franchises in Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
, Daniel P. Murphy, opened a new outlet for both brands in the same building in the town. He invited Ron Joyce
Ron Joyce
Ronald Vaughan "Ron" Joyce, CM is a Canadian billionaire businessman. He co-founded the Tim Hortons doughnut chain as Tim Horton's partner and first franchisee.-Early life and career:...
and Wendy's chairman Dave Thomas
Dave Thomas (American businessman)
David "Dave" Thomas was an American fast-food entrepreneur and philanthropist. Thomas was the founder and chief executive officer of Wendy's, a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in hamburgers...
to the grand opening, where the two executives met for the first time and established an immediate rapport. Murphy's success with the combined operation led to an agreement resulting in a merger of Wendy's and Tim Hortons (TDL Group) in 1995.
Montague has had several modest property developments in recent decades, consisting of several subdivisions, as well as new big box retail and institutional buildings.
The bridge carrying Route 4 across the Montague River was replaced in December 2007.
The Cavendish Farms Wellness Centre, opened in 2009 on the southern edge of the town beside the existing Atlantic Fitness Centre East complex. This facility includes an Olympic sized hockey arena, town offices, meeting rooms, two indoor walking tracks and the town library.
In 2009 to 2010, the Montague Regional High School was replaced with a new building on the southern edge of the town near the intersection of Valleyfield Road and Wood Islands Road.
In early 2010, the provincial Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development relocated from Charlottetown to a new building in Downtown Montague.
In late October, the intersection of the Wood Islands Rd (Route 4) and the Valleyfield Rd (Route 326) was replaced by Kings County
Kings County, Prince Edward Island
Kings County is located in eastern Prince Edward Island, Canada.It is the province's smallest, most rural and least-populated county. Kings County is also least dependent upon the agriculture industry compared with the other two counties, while being more heavily dependent on the fishery and...
's first roundabout.
Government
The town is governed by the mayor along with 5 councilors.The Kings District of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) serve the town from their headquarters just north of the town, with 3 officers exclusively serving the town.
Culture
The Town of Montague celebrates its birthday the first week after Canada day every year with an annual tradition called Montague Days, with activities including midway, buskers, soap box derby, Miss Montague contest, a pet parade,a parade (missed in 2007 due to construction of the bridge) and a fireworks display on the Montague Waterfront to wrap up the weekend long festival. The Montague Waterfront also plays host to musical acts and various other activities all weekend long. Birthday cake is given out on the Sunday of the festival to visitors to the waterfront. The poet Hugh MacDonaldHugh MacDonald (poet)
Hugh MacDonald is an award-winning Canadian poet and children's writer and editor who lives in Montague, Prince Edward Island. Among his many awards are the L.M. Montgomery Children's Literature Award, 1990 and the 2004 Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Literary Arts on Prince Edward...
lives in Montague.
Education
The town is home to three Eastern School District schools:- Montague Consolidated School
- Montague Intermediate School
- Montague Regional High SchoolMontague Regional High SchoolMontague Regional High School , is a Canadian secondary school in Montague, Prince Edward Island for students from the southern part of Kings County and the south eastern part of Queens County, including the towns of Montague and Georgetown....
Holland College
Holland College
Holland College is the provincial community college for the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. It is named after British Army engineer and surveyor Captain Samuel Holland...
is also located in the Down East Mall, in a new wing named the "Montague Centre."
Sports
Montague is home to several sports / recreation programs and teams. It has running tracks, recreational trails, parks, and playing fields for soccer, rugby, football, field hockey, softball and baseball. The town also has a swimming pool / fitness centre along with basketball courts and nearby tennis courts. The Eastern Eagles Soccer Complex, on the southern edge of the town, is home to the regional soccer teams, the Eastern Eagles. In 2009, the Cavendish Farms Wellness Centre opened, giving a new home to the Montague Norsemen hockey teams and replacing the aging Iceland Arena. It also gave the town Junior B and Senior hockey teams, the Montague Maniacs and Montague Marines. The town is also home to the Montague Curling Club, which takes in curlers from all of Kings County. Montague Regional High School and Montague Intermediate School are also home to many male and female sports teams.Climate
Attractions
Montague's main attraction is the town itself, aptly named "Montague the Beautiful" for its tree-lined streets, tranquil river and stately buildings. Other draws include the Garden of the Gulf Museum (the oldest museum in the province), the Canada Tree, the Montague Curling Club, Cavendish Farms Wellness Centre, Montague Regional High School, the Down East Mall, Gillis' Drive-In Restaurant (in BrudenellBrudenell, Prince Edward Island
Brudenell is a small community located along the Brudenell and Montague Rivers in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Brudenell point, which is located right where the rivers meet, was the site of the Jean Pierre Roma Acadian settlement in the 18th century. This small portion of Brudenell is now a...
) and more. Montague is also a starting point of the Confederation Trail
Confederation Trail
Confederation Trail is the name for a 470 kilometre recreational rail trail system in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island.It was developed in the 1990s, following the December 31, 1989 abandonment of all railway lines in the province by Canadian National Railway .-Description and...
, linking many towns across P.E.I. Before the trail starts is the former train station, renovated into a café, gift shop and information centre, looking out over the river.
Economy
Like much of the province, the area's 3 main industries are fishing, farming and tourism. Montague is home to many independent businesses, along with several chains primarily in the North End. Several large employers include the new Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development, the Provincial Addictions Centre, Vital Statistics, On-Line Support, Shoppers Drug MartShoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation is Canada's largest pharmacy chain with more than 1,241 stores operating under the names Shoppers Drug Mart in nine provinces and two territories and Pharmaprix in Quebec as well as in Hawkesbury, Ontario....
, Mariner Seafoods, Cavendish Farms potato processing plant in Pooles Corner, Atlantic Superstore
Atlantic Superstore
Atlantic Superstore is a Canadian supermarket chain of 54 stores in the Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island...
, and Sobeys
Sobeys
Sobeys is the second largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1,300 supermarkets operating under a variety of banners. Headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, it operates stores in all ten provinces and accumulated sales of more than $14 billion CAD in 2009...
. The town itself has no designated industrial areas, however neighbouring communities, notably Pooles Corner, have several industrial businesses. Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited is one of Canada's 60 largest publicly traded companies. The firm operates an inter-related network of businesses engaged in retailing hardgoods, apparel and petroleum as well as financial and automotive services, employing more than 58,000 people across Canada...
has bought a large piece of land in the North End and is planning on building their third store on Prince Edward Island within the next few years.
Media
The region's weekly newspaper, the Eastern Graphic, is based in Montague. The province's main daily newspaper, The Guardian, has an office in the town.Neighbourhoods
"Greater Montague," which includes outlying areas outside the actual town, has a population of over 6,000. It comprises several neighbourhoods, including:- BrudenellBrudenell, Prince Edward IslandBrudenell is a small community located along the Brudenell and Montague Rivers in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Brudenell point, which is located right where the rivers meet, was the site of the Jean Pierre Roma Acadian settlement in the 18th century. This small portion of Brudenell is now a...
- Downtown Montague
- Lower MontagueLower Montague, Prince Edward IslandLower Montague is a rural community located to the east of the Town of Montague, Prince Edward Island, Canada.The Community of Lower Montague was incorporated in 1974. The first inhabitants of the Island and the area now called Lower Montague were the First Nations Mi’kmag people who came to the...
- North End
- Pooles Corner
- South End
- Valleyfield
- Victoria Cross
Notable people born in Montague
- Former Premier William Bennett Campbell
- New York RangersNew York RangersThe New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
forward Brad RichardsBrad RichardsBradley Glenn Richards is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League .-Early career:Born and raised in Murray Harbour, Prince Edward Island...
Further reading
- Finley Martin, A View From the Bridge: Montague, P.E.I., Town of Montague, 1984.