Located at the heart of the Gatineau, Maniwaki is a friendly city offering a full array of services.

In the Algonquin language, Maniwaki means "Land of Mary". Some 150 years ago, the Reverend Oblate Fathers founded a mission and soon after, wood merchants, farmers, trade workers, businessmen and professionals, drawn by the forest's wealth, came to live,. Maniwaki was founded in 1849 and the parish registers were started in 1851. Forestry took root and became the livelihood of many settlers in this still virgin region. Irish, French and American Indians all contributed to the development of the City and lived side by side in harmony. Maniwaki was officially founded in 1851 and obtained the status of "Ville de la province de Québec" in 1957.

The first settlers of the region were the Algonquins. The Réserve de la Rivière Désert, also known as the Kitigan Zibi Reserve, is just to the south of Maniwaki. During your stay in the Haute-Gatineau, take the time to visit the Cultural Centre and the souvenir shops.

At the beginning of the century, the region, like everywhere in Quebec, was hit by an epidemic of the Spanish influenza. In less than two weeks, some twenty deaths were related to this sickness. Scared, people refused to go outdoors, and for the first time in its history, a Sunday passed without any mass being celebrated at the Assumption church.

1974 is a date etched in the memory of all the citizens in the region. On May 14^th of that year, the waters of the Gatineau river and those of the Désert river overflowed. The water rose at an alarming rate of 3 to 6 inches an hour. Over 1,000 Maniwaki and surrounding residences were flooded and approximately 3,000 persons had to be evacuated. Although no one was injured, damages reached many millions of dollars.

Since 1974, no other major calamity has occurred. The area continues prospering every year in two predominant fields, namely forestry and tourism.

Source : WebSite Ville de Maniwaki