The township is in the foothills of the Laurentian Mountains, not exceeding 487 metres (1,598 ft) above sea level, with a rocky, sandy, gravelly soil that is not conducive to agriculture. However, much of the land was cleared by early Irish settlers for farming and there remains small pockets of pastures along the Dalesville River, especially in the Glen and around the town centre. It is dotted with many lakes, such as Curran, Black, McDougall, Rainbow, and most notably Lake Louisa - the largest lake in the Regional County. These lakes attract many cottage vacationers and fishing enthusiasts.[4][5]
The headwater of the Dalesville River, the largest river in Wentworth, begins at the outlet of Barrows Lake on the western edge of the municipality and meanders for approximately 12 km through the municipality.
History
The Gale and Duberger map of 1795 already shows the Wentworth Township, but it was not officially established until 1809.[4] It is unclear if it is named after a village in York County, England, or that it is a tribute to Sir John Wentworth (1737-1820), Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia from 1792 to 1808.[5]
Around 1830, a group of settlers composed of Irish and French Canadians, began clearing the rough land with difficulty. In 1845, the Gore Municipality was established, which included the Gore and Wentworth Townships, but it was abolished two years later. In 1855, the Wentworth Township Municipality was formed.[5]
In 1914, a small portion of the Wentworth and Montcalm Townships separated and formed the Municipality of Lac-des-Seize-Îles,[6] and in 1958, Wentworth lost a large chunk of its territory when the Municipality of Wentworth-Nord separated.[7]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Wentworth had a population of 682 living in 378 of its 802 total private dwellings, a change of 28% from its 2016 population of 533. With a land area of 85.03 km2 (32.83 sq mi), it had a population density of 8.0/km2 (20.8/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
Canada census – Wentworth, Quebec community profile
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