Gatineau City Map Poster

About Gatineau

The current city of Gatineau is centred on an area called Hull, which was founded on the north shore of the Ottawa River in 1800 by Philemon Wright at the portage around the Chaudière Falls just upstream (north) from where Quebec City is located. Wright brought his family, five other families and twenty-five labourers and a plan to establish an agriculturally based community to what was a mosquito-infested wilderness. But soon after, as many had perished in that first winter itself out of starvation due to lack of food supplies for their survival. In 1820 there were only four surviving families left in this settlement: Côté St-Louis (St Louis Street), Boucherville St John's Road), La Brosse farm and Beauvais farm; all others having died or departed during those years.