Hydro-Sherbrooke

In June 1880, Sherbrooke residents experienced electric lighting for the first time during a performance by the Forepaugh Circus. At the time, the city had a population of 8,000.

Between 1880 and 1888, several companies sent representatives to persuade municipal officials to authorize the construction of hydroelectric plants along the Magog River and take advantage of this valuable source of energy. However, these projects were repeatedly blocked by certain city councillors who spoke on behalf of the Sherbrooke Gas and Water Co., which held a monopoly on gas lighting in Sherbrooke at the time.

It will come as no surprise that, in 1888, the Sherbrooke Gas and Water Company itself built the city’s first hydroelectric plant: the Frontenac Plant. It was one of the first hydroelectric plants in Quebec.

Owned by the City of Sherbrooke since 1908, this plant has played a crucial role in the city’s electricity production.

The mural you see was created in 2008 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the municipalization of electricity in Sherbrooke.

1. Daniel McManamy

Born in 1839, Daniel McManamy was a city councillor and owner of a general store on King Street West before becoming mayor in 1893.

As a city councillor, he voiced his dissatisfaction with the service provided by the electricity company. He then began efforts to municipalize the production and distribution of electricity. He used various strategies to convince his fellow councillors and the public to support this initiative. Between 1904 and 1908, he organized four referendums. The last one was successful: the Gas and Electricity Department of the City of Sherbrooke (Hydro-Sherbrooke) was established.

2. An Employee

This employee is busy handling a reel of electrical cable in front of the power plant’s warehouse.