The Founding of L'Orignal
The earliest settlers in this area, Joseph La Rocque-Brune and Raymond Duffaut, had located by 1791. Five years later Nathaniel Treadwell, a land surveyor and speculator from Plattsburg, New York, acquired the seigneury of Pointe-a-l'Orignal, some 9300 ha. By 1812 a small community was established here named L'Orignal after the moose found in the Pointe area. In 1816 it became the capital of the newly-created Ottawa District. The court-house was erected in 1825 and four years later a post office was opened. An influx of French-speaking settlers increased L'Orignal's population which numbered 400 in 1850. In 1876, with a population of over 800, it was incorporated as a Village.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Ontario Plaques. Full page here.