Heyworth, Quebec

Chemin de la Montagne

2,678 miles

Aug 26 – I’ve stopped today at the crossroads of Highway 148 and Chemin de la Montagne.  This area is full of roads named “chemin”.  The French meaning is a trail, pathway, or route, in contrast with city streets like “rue”, “avenue”, or “boulevard”.  

This road, then, is the Mountain Road, although there are no mountains in the vicinity, only some low hills to the east.  A little farther on is Chemin de la Rivière, connecting to the Ottawa River.   Quite a few roads are named after early explorers, like Samuel de Champlain and the Catholic missionary Dominican Friars, and settlers.  The 19^th century settlers seem to have been a mixture of French, German, & English pioneer farmers. 

house at the crossroads

This crossroads has a few houses, a small dealership for rider mowers & chainsaws, and a father-son auto mechanic garage.  There was a furniture & home decor store, but that has closed.  These businesses seem better suited to an exurban residential area than a thriving agricultural region.  The vacant grassy lot on the corner is for sale and available for future commercial purposes.