From the recording The River
Development of the Ottawa Valley in the early to mid-1900s involved large blocks of land being expropriated to make room for industrial development (hydroelectric) and for government institutions such as Garrison Petawawa and Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. Historical records show the old settlement roads and the locations of homesteads, stopping places and early farms. Some of the names of the old farms and stopping places have been adopted in our modern world, but otherwise all that remains are the traces of old homesteads; house foundations, steamboat wharfs, stage coach trails. These lands have also become wildlife refuges with access controls allowing the wild lands their privacy. This song pays tribute to the sadness that affected folks felt when they were told to move. These folks include the Richards, Forans, McQuestions, Shields, Nadeaus and many more. Like with the song Holden Pond, this is not a protest song; it simply tells the story of a time and place in the Upper Ottawa Valley.
Lyrics
Not Forgotten, Marc Audet
Life was thin, but efforts made
Traditions ran, with music played
Men at camps, for timber cut
The cycle ran, at times with luck
Now I wonder
I wonder how it felt
Spirits, left to others
A cold hand that was dealt
Steamboat wharfs and stage coach lines
And then automobiles and highway lines
Farm fields more as families spread
The cycle made this life content
Now I wonder, I wonder how it felt
Spirits, left to others, a cold hand that was dealt
Like a stream without water, or a child without laughter
It was then, and thereafter, but the truth is not forgotten
The survey crews, then the Government
With papers held, t’was their land then
Values paid and new lands held
But a coldness followed, I can tell
Homesteads gone, most fields grown in
And in the middle of it all, a factory stands
Concrete towers, but ancient eyes
Watch while keeping perfect time
Now, I wonder, I wonder how it felt
Spirits, left to others, a cold hand that was dealt
Like a stream without water, or a child without laughter
It was then, and thereafter, but the truth is not forgotten ...