Compiled in 1954 by The Arundel Women's Institute
Founded on May 4th, 1946
The country is mountainous, The Rouge River flowing through very fertile valleys. There are several lakes within a radius of four miles, the largest of these being Bark Lake and Bevan Lake.
Arundel was bounded on the north by Grandison and De Salaberry, east by Montcalm, south by Harrington and west by Amherst and Ponsonby of Ottawa County. In 1880 De Salaberry became a separate municipality and in 1928 Huberdeau separated from Arundel. At the present time the boundaries stand as follows - north by De Salaberry, East by Montcalm and Town of Barkmere, west by the Municipality of Huberdeau and south by Harrington.
The Minicipality now takes in 15,206 acres of land and is two miles in width and approximately nine miles long.
No doubt the chief resources of this district lie in its farm lands, and its forests of spruce, balsam, pine, poplar, birch and maple.
Where there are forests there is also lumber. The first saw mill was built by Mr. W. Staniforth, shortly after he came to this district in 1858. In 1896, Colin Campbell and his brother John, built a mill at Bevan Lake, sold to Bert Williamson, later bought by the Arundel Lumber Company (W.D. Graham and Brothers). This mill operated for many years. William Kidd built a mill on Bark Creek which was sold to merton Davis and still is being operated by Mr. A Leblanc. A modern mill was built on Bevan's Creek near Arundel Village in 18945 by Constant Courte, and is now owned by Mr. Frank Davis.
The Farmer still derives a big income from his wood lots as logs and pulpwood are very much in demand.
Our early settlers lumbered, farmed, trapped, hunted and made potash.
The tribe of Indians inhabiting this area is uncertain, but it has been learned they were a tribe not friendly with the Iroquois, who used to wait at the junction of the Rouge and Ottawa Rivers to attack and rob the local indians as they travelled downstream with their winter's fur harvest. The name Iroquois and Rockaway were given to the Lake, River and Rapids so called because of a great victory of the local tribe over the Iroquois.
The first inhabitants were told that this victory took place when the local indians, on being warned by their advance scouts that the Iroquois were lying in wait for them at what is now known as the Rockaway rapids on the Rouge River; carried their canoes overland to what is now known as Rockway Creek, descended this stream which empties into the Rouge near the present C.N.R. bridge, in the darkness and killed most of the Iroquois camp, after which the Iroquois, who came from New York Satte made no further raids along the Rouge River.
Indian names recorded in the Municipal minutes were Jack Shesheep (also spelled Chicheep) and Barnaby Shawein. Pieces of indian relics as arrow heads and arrows have been found on the property of Douglas Cooke (near River) and Percy Staniforth (on Creek), hence we are to believe these properties were once used as camping grounds for the Indians.
Up to 1856 Arundel was a Terra Incognito: no man had located there for the purpose of making a home; the only individuals who had penetrated its wild were hunters and trappers, or lumbermen driving their logs through the many turns over the cataracts of the Rouge.
Stephen Jakes Bevan is said to be the first white man who came into this Township, and he lived so long with the indians and followed so closely their way of life, that he was more generally regarded as belonging to the Red Men rather than the Anglo-Saxon race. He, being a hunter and trapper, traded largely with the Indians. In this pursuit of his vocation, he became aquainted with all the streamns and lakes with which the country abounds.
In the year 1822, Mr. Bevan built a shanty and storehouse at the junction of the creek, which now bears his name and the Rouge River. This served as his trading post.
This stream is now known as Bevan's Creek and is the outlet of Bevan's Lake, a most beautiful body of water, six miles long with an average breadth of one mile. Thus, it will be seen, this Lake and its outlet form a lasting memorial to the old hunter who lived so long ago upon their shores.
It is understood that Arundel was so named by Sidney Bellingham M.L.A., who had received a large part of the Township as a Provincial Government grant for his efforts in having the the Township survey made, and who had undertaken to encourage settlers to open up the district. Bellingham, a member of the Provincial Government (for more reading on Bellingham) and closely related to the Duke of Norfolk, Lord Provost Marshall of England, gave the Township its name in honour of the family estate in Arundel, Sussex, England. His own farm now (1954) the Flanagan Farm, formerly the Filion Farm , was named "Fitz-Allan Farm". Fitz Allan being a family name connected with the Bellingham's, and is so recorded in the early records of the Township.
The first actual settler in Arundel was William Thomson of Glasgow Scotland, who located here in March 1856, having received his land by letters patent from the Crown (300 acres, Lots 10,11 and 12 in the second range). There were no roads leading to Arundel at this time, so the trip from Lachute was made through the woods and up the Rouge. Mr. Thompson bore all hardships bravely, and with the help of his sons soon had his forest transformed into fruitful fields. In 1873, when he passed away, he had 70 acres of cleared land, held the position of Postmaster, Crown Land Agent and Captain of the Militia.
The year after Mr. Tompson's arrival, came William and David Staniforth, from England, who purchased 700 acres in Arundel and became pioneers in this Township. The first vehicle - a cart drawn by a yoke of oxen - was a great achievement and the first of its kind , introduced by Mr. Staniforth, soon elicited many congratulations.
During the next twenty years (1857-1877) many more families took up residence in Arundel - the names of the following are readily recalled as being former pioneers - McGrandle, Riddle, Cooke, Graham, Bennett, Moore, Scott, Smith, Brown, Filion, Kidd, Morrison, Swail, etc.
The records of Arundel's commercial establishments date back to 1884 in which year Mr. E. F. Brosseau opened a general store in what is now the Municipality of Huberdeau. The store greatly benefited the farmers as he purchased farm produce of every kind.
Two years later, 1886, Mr. W.D. Graham, Jr. opened the first store in what is now Arundel. The store was located at the foot of the Orange Hall Hill.
Mr. Sam Cooke owned a large farm about a mile from the Orange Hall and in 1893 he opened a small store on his property. This site is now the farm of Mr. Stuart Cooke, one of his grandsons.
During these early periods of the village, business was done to a great extent by trade or barter; and the stores received large quantities of beef, pork, poultry, eggs, butter, hides, potash, grain, etc. in exchange for their merchandise. Before the advent of the railway, produce was transported to Lachute or Grenville by horse. The early roads being so rough, the eggs were packed in barrels using oats or other grain as filler. In those days the eggs were not graded for size or freshness.
The price of produce were very low, and "various tricks" were employed to increase the value of such things as fowl, hides, etc. In at least one case a farm wife was credited with carefully inserting a harrow tooth, of steel about three-quarters square by eight inches long, into the "rear end" of a turkey before freezing it, and if by chance a stone was "accidentally" rolled up in a cow hide before it was frozen, it was considered more or less of a game by both parties, even if the seller didn't "get away with it".
Mr. C. J. Staniforth, one of the earliest settlers, son of David, returned to Arundel after having spent several years in general stores and meat markets in Lachute and Montreal. In 1897 he opened a store in his dwelling in what even then was becoming known as "the village". Local business continued to expand and in 1908, Mr. Staniforth built a three story building. The bottom floor to be used for his general store, the second floor, a public hall and the top floor was rented to the Masonic Lodge for their headquarters. Mr. Staniforth retired in 1930.
In 1897, Mr. J. McLaughlin built a large store in the Huberdeau section.
Another early merchant was James Bennett. In 1905 James' son, C.O. Bennett opened a meat shop next door to his father's store. When the elder Mr. Bennett retired his son enlarged his store and opened a combined general store and meat market until his death in 1945. His daughter, Mrs. C. J. Gray carries on this business.
About 1900 Mr. James Cooke built a boarding house and store near the railway track. After his death in 1938, the building was replaced in 1944 by the present "Cooke Bros." building, owned and operated by sons of the original owner.
In 1912, Mr. W.D. Graham built a new residence and a two story store at the village corner, moving his business from the Orange Hall Hill. The second floor of this building was used as a post office for many years. This store is now owned by his widow and is distinguished by a sign "Graham's General Store, Established 1886".
The Patterson store on the Huberdeau road, now the Wenville Graham residence, operated for about ten years.
Mr. Albert Scott operated a meat shop in the early 1900's in the building later sold to Mr. W. H. Kerr and converted into a blacksmith shop.
Among others who operated commercial establishments were William Swail, Brymer Bros., Mr. N. Rodgers, Grant Simon, Robert Simon, Raymond Courte and Arthur Hill.
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