The summer home of Colonel William Rhodes and his wife, Anne Catherine Dunn, c. 1910.
Evans Collection, www.tidesoftadoussac.com.
Our story begins with William Rhodes (1821‒1892). Born in England, Rhodes first came to Lower Canada in 1841 as a soldier. When he left the army five years later, he settled in Sillery, near Québec, where he married Anne Catherine Dunn (1823‒1911).
Rhodes quickly became an influential businessman. One of the founders of the Union Bank of Lower Canada, he also led several railway companies and invested in mining ventures. He played a major role in the political life of Canada-East and, later, of the province of Quebec as a Liberal deputy.
In the middle of the 19th century, Colonel Rhodes and his wife were introduced to Tadoussac by the Price family, who owned a local lumber mill. The Rhodes liked the area so much that they built a vacation home there in 1860, calling it Brynhyfryd (or “pleasant hill” in Welsh).
When this photograph was taken, the cottage had been enlarged and belonged to Nan Rhodes Williams (seated, on the right) and her husband, the Anglican bishop Lennox Williams.