Gayle McBride Stewart, Contributor, and HWTP curator
The Historic Westmeath Township Project is available again. Since going online in 2013 the website HWTProject.ca has had thousands of visitors interested in the history of the Ottawa Valley.
This summer the platform became unstable, and the site went offline. Tech wizard Robyn Voisey has successfully solved those technical problems. Voisey’s support has been vital to the website since its inception.
The website is back, and better than ever, with new formatting and a new more contemporary look.
Researched and written by Gayle McBride Stewart, the website supports general knowledge of our shared history. Written in an easy style and peppered with additional links to enjoy, visitors will find lots of rabbit holes to go down. When as many as over nine hundred visitors come to the site in one month, you know there is a need and people from around the world are seeking it out.
Stewart has worked to digitize microfiche records from public archives, images of sights and peoples, historic maps, correspondence, journals, and stories. Her research has been eclectic and widespread. The use of pictures is extensive. To see an image of what interests you is a powerful learning tool. She views herself as an average person wanting to have a good layperson’s knowledge of local history. She also has included several old, long out-of-print books from local writers so that they are available to the modern reader and researcher. Sourcing for most people is to put an idea, question, or noun into a search engine. HWTProject.ca will often be the only result.
When asked about her favourite section the quick answer is Maps. Old maps are hand drawn works of art, and the website has a treasure trove. Maps showing the “limits” of the lumber companies; maps with paths and trails used by natives and early settlers, or roads no longer used; maps of transport systems long gone like “Gould’s Line”; maps of explorer Champlain travelling through this area and writing in his journal.
The main section of HWTProject.ca covers a wide array of topics, including the mysterious Ottawa Caves and an introduction of Pembroke Township born Lumber Baron Alex Fraser and his sons because of a serendipitous set of circumstances. Researching the website has thrown up many unanticipated twists and turns.
The second section, the “Family Registry,” is about the people who came to this area. Nearly 150 pioneer families are included. This alphabetized directory will be back online shortly when its reformatting is complete.
The Riverview Seniors Social Club has proudly sponsored the website through the years. Its members share roots in Westmeath Peninsula and Whitewater Region. This sponsorship has allowed Stewart to volunteer her work knowing the website costs will be covered. That is priceless support.
