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The Chaudiere Falls, April 14, 2003
© CMCC, photo: Harry Foster, no. D2005-00071


The Chaudière Dam

One of the first dams in Quebec and the first on the Ottawa River, this structure harnessed the water at a point where the falls were about 10 metres high. These falls were a major obstacle to travellers and had forced them to portage since prehistoric times. When Philemon Wright arrived in the region, manufacturers built dikes to exploit the waterpower. The present-day dam, built in 1908 and put into operation in 1910, mirrors the shape of the great Chaudière Falls.

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