 |
|
|
Back in 1838, William
Fairbairn was intrigued
by the power and beauty of the MacLaren falls.
After writing Lt. John Colborn, the Commander
and Chief of Upper and Lower Canada, Fairbairn began construction
of the stone mill for the purpose of milling local grains into flour
for the farm families of the Gatineau and LaPêche river valleys.
He
sold the Mill a few years later to James MacLaren, another native
of Scotland. MacLaren expanded
the operations to include a sawmill, woolen mill,
and general store.
The buildings were destroyed by a large
fire in 1910. MacLaren rebuilt the following year by expanding the
flour mill, but discontinuing the woolen mill operations.
The results of that rebuild are evident in the Auberge
today. For example, large dimension beams dominate the reception area,
as they were used to support the grain silos above (the grain silos
were converted into four guest rooms; 205, 206, 306 & 307). |
|
|
| |
The "engine room" of the mill was located in what is now
the dining room.
Below the dining room were located both mechanical and electrical
turbines which drove heavy steel gears and pulleys required to transport,
separate and grind the local grains. One turbine room has been converted
to the new Spa and the other turbine room has been converted into
our wine cellar.
The MacLaren mills operated until 1939 when larger mechanized flour
mills made small scale production uneconomic. From 1939 to 1980, the
business operated as a grist mill producing livestock feed to local
area farmers. The mill then operated as a heritage museum by the Gatineau
Historical Society.
In 2000, two local residents - the husband and wife team of Robert
Milling and Lynn Berthiaume - realized their dream of a lifetime by
restoring the vacant building and 24 acre site into the Auberge, Spa
and Conference Centre that thousands visit and enjoy each year. |
|
|
|
|
