Matthew Farfan

This past Friday, members of the public, the press and local dignitaries got a glimpse of a new heritage driving tour of the Eastern Townships, the much-vaunted Chemin des Cantons -- or Townships Trail, as it will be known in English. Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est, which developed the project in consultation with a number of organizations, including QAHN, the Société d'histoire des Cantons-de-l'Est and others, held a press conference in Lennoxville to announce the contents of the tour. The event was held amid the splendid setting of Bishop’s University’s historic St. Mark’s Chapel, itself a stop on the tour.

Developed over a period of two years as a way of boosting tourist spending in the Townships, the Chemin des Cantons (the name alludes to the countless back roads that crisscross the region) focuses on the role played by American and British immigrants in shaping the Townships. Indeed, it is this theme that sets the tour apart from all others that have been developed in North America, said Alain Larouche, executive director of Tourisme Cantons-de-l’Est. The Townships have a unique history, and key to that history were the successive waves of colonization by American, British and later the French Canadian settlers. Each left its imprint on the region, but it was the American and British influence that sets the region apart from other parts of Quebec.

The Chemin des Cantons is an ambitious undertaking. It covers no less than 8 MRCs and 31 municipalities, and winds circuitously from Ulverton to Bromont, covering a distance of 415 km. All along the way are towns, villages and historic sites that reflect the American and British settlement of the region. Stops include museums, interpretation centres, churches, covered bridges, locally-organized heritage walking tours, and a myriad of other attractions. Many stops include animation, exhibitions and other activities related to the theme.



Stops on the tour, according to Larouche, are spaced no more than 10 or 15 km from each other. That way, interest remains constant. And visitors will be able to do all or part of the tour, spending as much or as little time as they wish. They will also be encouraged to stay in the towns through which they pass so that they may explore local areas thoroughly. Sites located off the tour will be publicized, as well, so that visitors who wish to stray from the itinerary may do so. The Chemin des Cantons will be indicated along its length by a distinctive blue road sign. These signs will be in place by June.

Stops on the Chemin des Cantons include the following towns: Ulverton, Richmond, Danville, Asbestos, Saint-Camille, Dudswell, Bury, Cookshire-Eaton, Sherbrooke (including Lennoxville), Waterville, Compton, Coaticook, Barnston-Ouest, Stanstead, Magog, Potton Township, Sutton, Lac-Brome (Knowlton), Waterloo, Granby and Bromont. Located off the route but indicated as side trips are: Windsor, Valcourt, Gould, North Hatley, Cowansville and Stanbridge-East.

Sherbrooke mayor Jean Perrault, who attended the press conference along with other mayors from around the Townships, was enthusiastic in his support of the project. The Chemin des Cantons, he said, was “a good example of regional cooperation… a bringing together of local resources.”


Photos:
Top right: Alain Larouche.
Top left: The view in St. Mark's Chapel
Bottom right: Unveiling the new pictorgram.
Bottom left: Chapel carvings.
(Photos: Matthew Farfan)