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The founding of L'Orignal

Exh Franco Founding Of Orignal
Credit: Centre for Research on French-Canadian Culture, University of Ottawa, Ste. Famille Cultural Centre Collection (C80), Ph83-R154F6. Print from the collection of Irène Lafontaine. Street scene in L'Orignal, Ontario [c. 1912].

A parcel of land along the Ottawa River granted to François Prévost in 1674 was the first seigneury* in what is now Ontario. Perhaps because of its remoteness, the area was not developed for settlement until the end of the 18th century. By 1825, however, a thriving village was in evidence on the Pointe à l'Orignac seigneury.

Named after the moose that were so plentiful in the area, L'Orignal was developed primarily by Nathaniel Treadwell, a land speculator from New York State who acquired the Pointe à l'Orignac seigneury in 1796.

  • Visit the plaque – At St-Jean Baptiste School, 35 Longueuil Street, L'Orignal.

Note: The seigneurial system was the primary form of land distribution in New France from 1627 to 1854. It was modelled on the feudal system in Europe. Learn more ...


Photo gallery

  • Exh Franco Founding Of Orignal
    Credit: Centre for Research on French-Canadian Culture, University of Ottawa, Ste. Famille Cultural Centre Collection (C80), Ph83-R154F6. Print from the collection of Irène LafontaineStreet scene in L'Orignal, Ontario [c. 1912]
  • Exh Franco Founding Of Orignal 2
    Credit: Centre for Research on French-Canadian Culture, University of Ottawa, Ste. Famille Cultural Centre Collection (C80), Ph83-R154F6. Print from the collection of Irène LafontaineStreet scene in L'Orignal, Ontario [c. 1912]