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Today Valcourt is a large modern town, but the stages of its development are
not well known.
The history of Valcourt and the surrounding region did not really begin
until the end of the 18th century. The first inhabitants came from the
United States seeking new sources of farmland and remaining loyal to the
British Crown by fleeing the War of Independence, which ended in 1783.
In
1802, the area surrounding Valcourt was proclaimed the Township of Ely,
recalling a city in Great Britain. The arrival of the Waterloo-Richmond
railway line in 1834 and the opening of the road connecting Waterloo and
Richmond encouraged the Township's development. Around 1850 a significant
wave of colonization began.
Protestant anglophones took up residence in
various places in the Township and created small hamlets that we know as
Boscobel, Dalling, Bethel, West Ely, Davidson Hill, and Bethany. Catholic
French Canadians also came to settle in the area, more precisely south of
the 5th range, at the foot of Cobble Hill, today Mont Valcourt, where the
territory is flatter and more suitable for agriculture.
This region, which includes Valcourt itself, developed very quickly thanks to local
entrepreneurship. Residents began opening many businesses and industries at
the end of the 19th century, including general stores, forges, sawmills and
card mills. Valcourt also had its own notary and doctor. The Valcourt
Telephone Co. opened in 1891.
Catholic religious services were offered in 1848, but practising Catholics
did not have their own chapel until 1852. Construction began in 1869 on the
Catholic church for the Saint-Joseph d'Ely parish as we know it today now
the oldest Catholic church in the Township.
Valcourt was incorporated as a village in 1929, attesting to the
municipality's growing importance in various areas. J. Armand Bombardier's
commercial success gave the village international visibility and allowed it
to increase considerably in terms of population and economic strength. In
1974, the status of Valcourt changed from village to city.
Valcourt continues to grow and develop. Several buildings date from the end
of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, enriching the town's heritage
while it faces the future with determination and yet it is still known
throughout Quebec as the birthplace of the inventor of the Ski-Doo®2 snowmobile.
The name "Valcourt" identified the Canadian Pacific station and the post
office beginning in 1864, and was officially attributed to the town in 1965.
Why "Valcourt"? Three theories exist. Some say that "Valcourt" is a
corruption of "Dalcourt," the family name of one of the first colonists to
come and settle on the town's actual territory. Others see a reference to a
village named "Valcour," several kilometres south of Plattsburgh, New York,
where some Loyalists may have originated. The last theory is that "Valcourt"
is a diminutive that describes the town's main geographic characteristic,
meaning that it is situated in a very small valley ("Val" for vallée/valley
and "court" for short stretch).
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Main Street. 1930
Rodrigue
Garage
Docteur Langlois' House
Hotel Valcourt
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