The Ville de Brownsburg-Chatham and the Musée régionale d’Argenteuil Regional Museum are joining in the festivities for the 150th anniversary of the Orica site in Brownsburg-Chatham. The big celebration takes place on Saturday, September 13, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Parc des veterans on rue Principale.
Starting at 1 p.m., there will be a variety of activities to appeal to young and old alike: face painting for children, inflatable games, roaming entertainment with period characters, themed kiosks, and antique exhibits.
At 3 p.m., tribute will be paid to the Munitionettes (Bomb Girls) by unveiling a monument in honour of the women who made history working at the site during the two world wars. This will be followed at 3:30 p.m. by the official launch of a book recounting the history of the Orica site, the result of research conducted by Robert Simard, historian and director of the Musée régionale d’Argenteuil Regional Museum, and historian Jean-Cristophe St-James.
Starting at 5 p.m., there will be free hot dogs for everyone, while the park stage will come alive with an energetic performance by the band Les Midnight Boppers.
“This anniversary is an opportunity to highlight the importance of the Orica site in our collective history. It is with great pride that we invite the public to join us in celebrating this industrial, social, and human heritage,” said Brownsburg-Chatham Mayor Kévin Maurice.
“This 150th anniversary of the site’s founding is an opportunity to celebrate our heritage while looking to the future, driven by the innovation and commitment of our teams. We invite the community to join us on September 13 to celebrate this significant moment together,” said Stefania Ripamonti, Senior Director of Orica’s Brownsburg-Chatham site.
Founded in 1875, the Orica site (formerly Dominion Cartridge and CIL) has played a key role in the economic development of Brownsburg-Chatham and Canada, particularly in the manufacture of ammunition and explosive products. Its history is closely linked to that of thousands of workers in the region.
The explosives plant forever changed the community and surrounding region. Before it opened, Brownsburg was a mill town. David Smith established the first black powder mill by Rivière de l’ouest in Brownsburg in 1875.
During World War One and World War Two, Defence Industries Limited (DIL), which was a federal crown corporation, operated a munitions plant within what was then the CIL plant in Brownsburg. Simard said that during World War Two, 120 million .303 cartridges were produced at the plant. In 1944, 4,000 people were working at the site.
“They had to build a train track to the plant in Brownsburg to carry all of the munitions they were producing,” Simard remarked.
Work at the plant is dangerous, and safety rules and equipment have evolved considerably over the past 150 years. Before 1945, 26 employees of the plant had died due to workplace injury. There was also a major fire at the site in 1920.
In 1977, CIL was taken over by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). In 1991, Australia-based Orica became the operator of the Orica site in Brownsburg.
This free event is a great opportunity to celebrate history and community and spend a wonderful afternoon with family or friends.
