Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury is a united township municipality nestled in the Canadian province of Quebec. It is situated in the regional county municipality of La Jacques-Cartier, north of Quebec City. This charming locale is renowned for its main attraction, the Stoneham Mountain Resort.
The vast territory of Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury is primarily developed and inhabited in the south. This is where the population centres of Saint-Adolphe, Stoneham, and Tewkesbury are located. The northern part of the municipality is largely included in the Jacques-Cartier National Park and the Laurentides Wildlife Reserve. The terrain is hilly, forming part of the Laurentian Mountains, and is intersected by the Jacques-Cartier, upper Sainte-Anne, and Hurons Rivers. Notable lakes in the area include Beaumont, Saint-Vincent, and Saint-Guillaume.
In 1792, Philip Toosey was granted approximately 70 acres of land, marking the inception of the village he named Stoneham, after his hometown in Suffolk, England. That same year, the geographic townships of Stoneham and Tewkesbury were established. Tewkesbury is believed to be named by Kenelm Chandler, who was born in Tewkesbury, England, and was granted 9713 hectares of land in Stoneham in 1800.
The first wave of Irish, English, and Scottish settlers arrived in 1815. By 1831, the population had surpassed 175. The Stoneham Municipality was formed in 1845 and abolished in 1847. In 1850, the Parish of Saint-Edmond-de-Stoneham was established, named after Edmund Rich of Canterbury (1170-1240). The Stoneham Post Office opened in 1854, and a year later, the United Township Municipality of Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury was established, populated by about 25 families.
By 1871, the population had grown to 640 (360 in Stoneham township and 280 in Tewkesbury township). In 1880, the Tewkesbury Post Office opened (and closed in 1963). The completion of the railroad, owned by the St. Charles and Huron River Railway Company, between Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury and Loretteville in 1912 led to intensive logging in the area. Timber was floated down the Hurons River to Stoneham, from where it was transported by rail to Quebec City. The railway was also used to transport cargo and wood pulp of the Brown Corporation and the Donnacona Paper Company. By 1920, Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury had become an important commercial center of northern Quebec. In 1973, the neighbouring municipality of Saint-Adolphe was annexed into Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury, making it one of the largest municipalities in Quebec at that time.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury had a population of 9,682 living in 3,862 of its 4,421 total private dwellings, a change of 15.8% from its 2016 population of 8,359. With a land area of 670.03 km2 (258.70 sq mi), it had a population density of 14.5/km2 (37.4/sq mi) in 2021.
The mother tongue distribution is as follows:
Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury, Quebec, is a place where history and natural beauty intertwine, offering a unique experience for residents and visitors alike.
