Notre-Dame-de-Stanbridge

In 1801, Stanbridge Township became the property of James McGill, a Montreal merchant and founder of McGill University. Upon his death, the Township, 31,000 acres in size, was left to his inheritors, the DesRivières family. Its growth really began in 1840, when François-Guillaume and Henri DesRivières settled there – their first task being the construction of Malmaison Manor in 1841. In 1842, they built a dam on the river; in 1843 the dam powered two mills and the first covered bridge was built. The wood industry elevated the region's prosperity, and the government of Lower Canada planned and built the Grande-Ligne Road. The community's growth was substantial. In 1848, the municipality of Notre-Dame-des-Anges-de-Stanbridge was formed, and Henri DesRivières was named its first mayor and the first prefect of the incorporated Missisquoi County.