Embrun, Ontario
Embrun (Postal code K0A 1W0) is a small village on the Castor River in Russell Township of Russell County, Ontario. Like many French Canadian communities in Eastern Ontario it was set up by farmers in search of new lands to open in the middle of the 19th century. The earliest parish records from St. Jacques Church in Embrun go back to 1841. The village was named in 1857 by François Michel, a priest in the village, to commemorate his hometown in France. The first post office was established in the following year.
Lovell's Directory for 1871 shows that the village then had a population of about 90, and that its facilities included at least an inn operated by Octave Dufort and a saw mill owned by William Z. Helmer. Joseph Lalonde was the village's justice of the peace, councillor, postmaster and storekeeper. In 1882 Lalonde was still storekeeper and postmaster and the village had grown to 100. It was only after this that the population of Embrun saw growth to reflect qualitative improvements in the farmland with improved drainage, and an agricultural focus on the dairy industry.
In 1897 the Ontario & New York Railway was built through Embrun between Ottawa and Cornwall. It was later to be absorbed in the New York Central System that would operate the line until 1957; this contributed greatly to the economic stability of the community during that time. While farming is still a major element of the local economy the proximity to Ottawa makes it an attractive residential community for those who work in the capital. The present village has a population of about 4,000 in a rapidly growing township to Ottawa.
In recent years Embrun has hosted an annual Volksfest for owners of Volkswagen automobiles.