According to old records, John Ryan was amongst the first settlers in the Curran area. Arriving from Wesford, Ireland in 1817 with his wife and seven sons, he settled on what is now lot #19 of the 9th Concession, and lived there the rest of his life. About that same time, another colonist, Moses Shane, settled in our area. He also originated from Wesford, Ireland. Martin O’Rourke came from Mayo Co, Ireland in 1836 and settled in the vicinity of Pendleton. Henry Moffat came from Tyrone Co, Ireland in 1836 and built a store in Pendleton in 1867, which he expanded in 1878.

In 1839, the population of Curran as well as surrounding areas could be narrowed down into two groups; the United Empire Loyalists, who had fought the American Revolution and in recognition of their loyalty to the Empire had obtained land, and the french Canadian families who were emigrating from the Counties of Soulanges and Vaudreuil. Among the latter group names like Labelle, Parent, Legault, Dupont and Chatelain figure prominently in the registers.

The living conditions were very primitive in those days. The area from Bytown to L’Orignal was a vast woodland and the timber industry was first and formost. Huge square timber logs, 50 to 75 feet in length were fastened together, floated down the river as far as Quebec, then shipped to England where this material was in great demand.

Thousands of raftsmen were drafted in this rude but alluring and venturesome industry. What was unfit for square timber was fastened together in rafts of smaller size and floated down to the nearest saw-mill and adapted to house requirements. Located in the vicinity of one of these mills, the property of one Mr. Hagar, later on transferred to Mr. McMaster, half bathed and girded by the Nation River, the parish of St. Luke was admirably located to benefit from this lumber industry.

Lumbering however, was paving the way for a more permanent industry, farming. The land cleared by the settlers was excellent, most fertile of the Nation and Ottawa valleys. As the bush receded, the new settlers clung to the land.

The production of cereals, butter and butcher’s meat found a profitable local market. More recently, the big industry in and around Curran was cheese production and of course dairy production. The soil being of varied composition, several other agricultural products have been farmed here, notably potatoes, hops and sugar beets.

The first missionaries came from L’Orignal. They walked through the forest carrying heavy luggage on theirs backs. At first their visits were few and far between, but became more frequent and regular as the settling movement progressed. It was in different houses that the divine Mysteries were celebrated. Mgr. McDonald, the first bishop of Kingston, who as a missionary, visited these parts in 1820, wrote to Mgr. Plessis, bishop of Quebec these remarkable lines, which are an adequate survey of the then religious situation:

"There are to be found settlers of Irish and French descent in the townships of Hull, March and Nepean, not to mention the families scattered on both sides of the Ottawa River, from the Seigniory of Longueil to the Chaudières. If two priests were to be found, one at L’Orignal, the other at Richmond, they would divide these parts unto themselves and would visit all these settlers".

The first regular religious service dates as far back as 1839. It was inaugurated by the Rev. Father Lefaivre, who on every fortnight was making this journey on foot from L’Orignal. Father Lefaivre is rightly considered to be the founder of this Mission. It was he who built the first chapel and kept the first books of the Parish. The first entry in the register was January 4^th, 1839 to record the baptism of Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, 72 years old, wife of John Baxter. The Chapel, erected on the old cemetery of Plantagenet, was a very odd structure. With the idea of subsequently building a ground floor apartment, which could be used as temporary headquarters for the missionary, this chapel had been perched on 12 foot high posts. Yielding to the entreaties of Father McDonell and of the citizens of St. Luke, Bishop Guigues appointed a recently ordained young Irish Priest, Rev. Patrick McGoey, on the 10^th of June, 1948 to the care of this mission.

Bishop Guigues was very uneasy with regard to the site of the chapel. In spite of all entreaties, the proprietor of the Mills, Mr. McMartin, refused to donate the land on which the chapel stood. Under these circumstances, it would have been unwise to dream of a well established settlement here. Besides, as colonists were spreading southwards, His Grace accepted an offer of 5 acres of land, located a few miles to the south, and gave orders for the removal of the chapel. It was then in 1853, with Episcopal approval that the settlers, led by Etienne Chatelain, a veteran soldier of the war of 1812, betook themselves to the Mills and transferred the chapel to the present day site of the Church of St. Luke.

In 1860, at the conclusion of a visit to the Mills to investigate the building of a stone church whose construction had been halted for lack of funds, Mgr. Guigues permitted a group off applicants who claimed to be of more fortunate means, to build a church a few miles to the south, provided the following requirements were met; to add 3 acres to the land already possessed by the parish, and to build a brick or stone church. By 1864 the church structure had made enough headway to permit its blessing by Mgr. Guigues under the name St. Luke the Evangelist. Rev. Father Bertrand is to be credited with the honour of having built this first church. The zealous priest had charge of the Parish for fourteen years, from 1859 to 1873.

The parish was now headed for progress. In 1863 the population of Curran and the mission reached 300 families. Apparently the parish chest was at a fair level. Parish records indicate there had been 205 baptisms, 22 deaths and 25 marriages. (compare to 1963, 100 years later with 97 families, 12 baptisms, 1 death and 1 marriage). At the issue of a pastoral visit made in 1873 by His Grace Mgr. Guigues, the following remark was made:

" The funds from the pews and other revenues of the parish are from this moment, placed at the disposal of the parish priest and the trustees for the erection of a belfry". The church tower was built the same year by Mr. Hebert of Montreal. At the same time, a magnificent bell of 1809 pounds was blessed and christened by the name of Euginie.

On the 15^th of July, 1875, the citizens of North and South Plantagenet held a meeting to decide the erection of the rectory. It was a stone structure of simple and sturdy architecture, and a worthy source of pride for the parishioners of Curran. Father Gay had the honour of being congratulated by His Excellency the Archbishop Duhamel over the fine appearance and comfort of the new parochial home.

As the ancient church had no foundation the ground work had been made out of pieces of timber, which in time decayed so that the walls cracked and threatened ruin. A new church soon became the order of the day. On April 31^st, 1894, Mgr. Duhamel blessed the corner stone. The work was pressed with vigor and F. Pilon, delegated by His Grace to this effect, was able to bless the new temple on the 1^st of January, 1895. Four months later, when the workmen were gone, His Grace Mgr. Duhamel consented to journey to Curran for the solemn inauguration of the sacred edifice. A Pontifical High Mass was celebrated.

This second stone church was designed by the architects Roy and Gauthier, and built by the contractor Fauteux. The decorations were the works of the painter Meloche, of Montreal. It is a monument of high Roman style, whose dimensions are 119 ft in length, inside height 31 ft and 94 ft wide. Its cost at the time was approximately $30,000. To this day, this edifice is one of the finest of the diocese. The first Mass was celebrated January 1^st, 1905.

At that time the parish counted 278 families, of which 57 were of Irish descent. Apart from the creation of new parishes in surrounding areas, the decrease in population is mostly as a result of changes in the agricultural industry. Land which once supported six to eight farms, is now worked by one farm.

Facing the church, a separate school was built in 1884. Two other rural separate schools were located on the VIII Concession, plus a catholic school in Pendleton.

The text and photographs for this summary can be found in the "Album-Souvenir du 150e anniversaire de la paroisse Saint-Luc de Curran", printed by Imprimerie Lalonde, Hawkesbury, 1989