ABOUT The Pioneer Trail
WHAT IS THE PIONEER TRAIL?
The Pioneer Trail is The Pioneer Trail is an original and unique tour that allows you to meet historical figures who left their mark on the history of the Coaticook region. It is produced by the Table de concertation culturelle (cultural dialogue table) of the Coaticook MRC.
Each pioneer is presented in a life-size silhouette form cut from a corten steel plate, a magnificent work of art in itself. It is mounted on a permanently landscaped base where visitors can stop at any time of the year except January and February. Thanks to an audio recording incorporated into the structure, the character speaks five minutes in French and five minutes in English. Each of the five pioneers relates a large part of their history and the events that marked their times. Seating arranged around the silhouettes offers visitors a moment of relaxation, and gives them an opportunity to admire the typical landscapes of a region scattered with hills, valleys and picturesque country streams.
Follow the Pioneer Trail and let yourself be charmed by the voices of the past in the heart of our land.
ABOUT THE MAIN ACTIVITY
With a brochure in hand, including a road map detailing the locations of the historical figures (with GPS coordinates), let yourself be guided along the Pioneer Trail. Take advantage of your trip to admire the cultural attractions of our area, particularly the typical heritage buildings of the Eastern Townships.
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BRINGING CHILDREN ALONG?
Pick up your copy of the all-new “Journey through Time on the Pioneer Trail” booklet! Intended for children 5-12 years old, the booklet offers a variety of activities (games, riddles, quizzes, etc.) for even more fun on the road and at each of the fifteen sites to visit.
Jardins des pionniers
Il est possible de retrouver des Jardins des pionniers disposés autour de certains personnages ( Arthur O. Norton, Carlton Ayer, Charles James Stewart et Henrietta Ball-Banting ). Ces jardins ont été créés avec l’intérieur découpé des silhouettes d’acier corten. Ils sont installés de façon permanente et prennent vie autour des pionniers.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
Initié en 2007 par la TCCC, le projet La Voie des pionniers vise à enrichir le circuit culturel développé The Pioneer Trail was launched by the TCCC in 2007 and aims to enrich the cultural circuit in existence since the beginning of 2000. The pleasant routes of the twelve municipalities in the Coaticook MRC can already be explored by using one of the six photo circuit discovery tours produced by the TCCC in 2002 and published in 2004 in a bilingual booklet. With the addition of The Pioneer Trail, visitors will now be able to meet selected characters featured right in the areas where they lived. True to the image of the Eastern Townships where Francophones and Anglophones mingle and live together, these celebrated characters represent both linguistic cultures. In 2012, the TCCC completed its three-year plan to extend the Pioneer Trail with five new historical figures.
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
Menées par des étudiants en histoire de l’Université de Sherbrooke, des recherches sur chacun des pionniers ont permis de recueillir d’abondantes informations puisées à diverses sources : documents, Research on the pioneers was conducted by history students from the University of Sherbrooke. An abundance of information was drawn from various sources including documents, archives from different historical societies, websites, accounts, and consultations with history specialists. Based on this information, author and actress Anne Dansereau wrote the texts, which were interpreted by professional performers.
The Production Team:
- Project execution: Pittoresco
- Coordination, planning and graphic design: Josée Moisan, Stéphan Flibotte
- Sound tracks – Drafting of the texts, supervision of the translation and of the recordings : Anne Dansereau
- English translation : Suzanne Lepage and Stevenson & Writers Inc.
- Revision of the translation : Benoit Pelletier, Anne Lawton
- Voices of Steven Bolduc, Normand Chouinard, James Crooks, Anne Dansereau, Lewis Evans, Lysanne Gallant, Nelson Gonyer, Jean-François Hamel, René Lefebvre, Benoit Pelletier, Jacques Quintin, Jo Jo et George Rideout, Charles de Sainte Marie, Jacinthe Tremblay, Gregory Tuck
- Recording : Larry O’Malley, Audiobec Sono/Vidéo
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
For their patience, their availability, and their passion for the history of the characters whom they studied and presented to us through their work, we extend our thanks to Julie Beloin, Antoine Barrière-Morin, Amélie Masson-Labonté, Mylène Urbain and Jean-Michel Morin. Thank you to Ann Leydet for her invaluable research on the Daniel Way character featured in Barnston-West (Way’s Mills) and to Yves Robillard, whose research on Baldwin Mills and the important characters in its history we were able to use. We would also like to thank Susan Beaton for all of the historical information she provided to us, as well as the families of the pioneers, who allowed us to explore the lives and worlds of several characters featured on the Pioneer Trail. Finally, thanks to Shirley Lavertu for her support of the historical research done by the TCCC, as well as Édith Thibodeau for her availability, belief in our projects, support of our research activities, and help in presenting the figures in our area.
