Almonte by John Robert McQuarrie, Paperback | Indigo Chapters

FOREWORD BY MAYOR CHRISTA LOWRYMy roots run deep here. My family has worked the soil in what is now Mississippi Mills for over 200 years. They were some of the first European settlers in this area, establishing their first farm in Bennie’s Corners. As the Mayor of Mississippi Mills, my pride in our municipality and her people run even deeper than my roots. We have cultivated a winning recipe of heritage and history, new ideas and old sensibilities and a balance of rural and urban values in a community steeped in natural beauty, historic architecture, and a love to tell our story. I grew up on my parents’ dairy farm just outside of Almonte, then spent a dozen years in some of Canada’s largest cities. While the shine never dulled on my hometown for me, coming back from years away did give me a lens perhaps like the one visitors, tourists and new residents see through. Humbly, I have realized our winning recipe is as unique as it charming. What a delight it is to share our town, villages and rural areas as well as the stories of yesteryear and today through John McQuarrie’s magnificent book. I first met John when he offered to help me with a community event; I was throwing a 158th birthday party for Dr. James Naismith, inventor of basketball and son of Almonte. Several hundred schoolkids were coming to celebrate, because that’s the sort of thing we do around here. It didn’t take long for the kids to spot John’s drone, but nonetheless they cooperated, and the result was a truly incredible shot. John made magic happen with the light on that cold, crisp autumn day against the sky and historic downtown, creating a breathtaking backdrop to a town in celebration! It also gave me an inkling of the excellence that was in store for his book, ALMONTE, SPIRIT OF PLACE. John’s photographs could be mistaken for paintings, for pieces of art. His is an ability to show the sublime, something inspired and at times ethereal. His desire to showcase why people live here and why folks “from away" should visit is unmistakable in his images. There is also a timelessness to many of his photographs that gives me pause, and I wonder if John has captured an image as it would have been seen a millennium before us. All the hamlets, rural areas and Almonte itself that make up present-day Mississippi Mills is on land that has been a site of human activity for over 10, 000 years. It is rich in Indigenous history as the ancestral land and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation. While John’s photography is truly a work of art on its own, what makes his book such a treasure is how he has woven stories from the people of Almonte, Blakeney, Appleton Clayton and Pakenham into the pages. Not only does John’s photography itself provide unique angles, depth and dimension, varying perspectives are also articulated from the quotations and stories included from the people who live here. While his spectacular photographs are of landscapes and architecture, the actual story John tells is about people and community. Like when returning home “from away", John’s stunning work has given me yet another lens to see my community from new angles. I thank you whole-heartedly, John, for sharing your striking perspective of our beloved home. | Almonte by John Robert McQuarrie, Paperback | Indigo Chapters