The Founding of Omemee

About 1920, Maurice Cottingham settled here on the Pigeon River in Emily Township. By 1835, his family had acquired much of the site of the present village. William Cottingham had built mills and, with Christopher Knoweson, had laid out a village plot named Williamstown on the west side of the River. Within a few years, a post office was opened and, by 1843, the village had been enlarged and was called Metcalfe. The construction of the Port Hope, Lindsay and Beaverton Railway in 1857 fostered the growth of the community and it was renamed Omemee, a Mississauga word meaning “Pigeon.” The centre became a thriving shipping point for timber and grain. Omemee was incorporated as a village in 1874 with a population of about 900.

Vers 1820, Maurice Cottingham s’établit à cet endroit, le long de la rivière Pigeon, dans le canton d’Emily. Dès 1835, sa famille possède la majeure partie de l’emplacement du village actuel. William Cottingham y exploite des moulins et, avec l’aide de Christopher Knoweson, trace le plan d’un village baptisé Williamstown sur la rive est de la rivière. En l’espace de quelques années, on ouvre un bureau de poste et le village s’agrandit. En 1843, on l’appelle désormais Metcalfe. La construction du chemin de fer de Port Hope, Lindsay et Beaverton en 1857 favorise la croissance de la collectivité, qui est rebaptisée Omemee, mot signifiant « pigeon » dans la langue des Mississaugas. Le centre devient un point d’expédition de bois d’œuvre et de grain prospère. En 1874, forte d’une population d’environ 900 âmes, la collectivité d’Omemee est constituée en village.