Leadville, Hameau
Contenu
The hamlet of Leadville, which is now more an area than it is village, is located at the southern extremity of Potton, near Lake Memphremagog. The topography is rocky, heavily wooded and borders Vermont.
The name is traditional, derived from the fact that there was a settlement around the lead mine that once operated on the shoreline of Lake Memphremagog.
“Located south of Owl's Head on a lot originally owned by a Mr. Stewart, Lots # 7 & 8, Range 11, Township of Potton. In a newspaper clipping dated October 2, 1862, it was reported that very rich specimens of lead ore (galena) had been blasted out. A percentage of silver is reported to be present, but the actual percentage was not mentioned.”
From roughly 1860, the Glen Falls Mining Company tunnelled for this ore. Mention of the lead mine was found in a journal of 1862, in the Atlas of the Eastern Townships in 1881 as well as on a 1920 map, which also noted the presence of the Leadmine Light – a warning to the numerous boats then plying Lake Memphremagog carrying passengers and freight.
“The Glens Falls Mining Company again mined this site in 1900 with about fifteen miners being employed. Their capital soon ran out and they were forced to cease operations. This property was again diamond drilled in 1950 with discouraging results.”[1] Some oral history reports that the lead mine operated only a few days before the shaft flooded, and operations were ceased. There seems some confusion here since the above information would seem to refute this.
A post-office was also opened in Leadville in 1898, but closed in 1913 after free rural mail delivery throughout Canada began in 1908.
[1] Both quotes from page 197, Volume III, Yesteryears of Brome County
C'est dans la municipalité de Potton, près du lac Memphrémagog, qu'est situé le hameau de Leadville. Il se trouve dans un milieu boisé et accidenté, dans le voisinage de la frontière avec l'État du Vermont. L'appellation anglaise reflète la présence d'une population anglophone de vieille souche dans la région; Leadville peut se traduire par ville du plomb. Une mine de plomb y a effectivement été exploitée à partir des années 1860 par la compagnie minière Glen Fall. Des difficultés financières ont interrompu les activités à plusieurs reprises, mais c'est en 1950 qu'on y mettait fin de manière définitive. On trouve mention de cette mine dans un journal en 1862, dans l'Atlas of Eastern Townships de 1881 ainsi que sur une carte de 1920, qui indique la présence d'un feu de navigation «Leadmine Light», à une époque où le lac Memphrémagog était sillonné par de nombreux bateaux reliant différents points de son pourtour. On a ouvert un bureau de poste nommé Leadville à cet endroit, en 1898, mais ce dernier a fermé ses portes en 1913.[1]
[1] Source: Noms et lieux du Québec, ouvrage de la Commission de toponymie paru en 1994 et 1996 sous la forme d'un dictionnaire illustré imprimé, et sous celle d'un cédérom réalisé par la société Micro-Intel, en 1997, à partir de ce dictionnaire. Topos sur le Web
- Titre
- Leadville, Hameau
- Thème
- Historic Names | Noms historiques
- Place or Site Names | Places ou sites
- Identifiant
- PN-L-05
- Collections
- Toponymie | Place Names of Potton and More