Canadian Legends & Monsters: Jos the Canadian Lumberjack Legend (S2EP57)

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Original air date: November 20, 2025

Our feature this evening takes us to the Ottawa Valley, marking the boundary between Eastern Ontario and the Quebec region, including the Ottawa River.

It is a huge area, roughly 2.4 million hectares, and was once covered by the Champlain Sea, which is why you can still find fossils in the limestone today.

What makes this region part of a Canadian legend is a man who once lived and worked along the valley. A man whose story grew as fast as the forests he worked in. And that is the Canadian lumberjack Joseph Montferrand, or as many know him, Big Joe Mufferaw.

The Legend of Jos Montferrand

Joseph Montferrand has often been compared to Paul Bunyan. He was a large, strong French-Canadian lumberjack who worked in the Ottawa Valley and became a heroic figure. Stories describe him as tall, handsome, courteous, warm, generous, and devoted.

He really was six feet four inches tall, which was especially large for the time. And like Paul Bunyan, many of his stories got bigger and wilder with every retelling.

One story claims he had a signature move where he would backflip and kick the ceiling of a pub, leaving a boot print behind. Apparently, if you walked into a tavern back then and saw a footprint on the ceiling, that meant Joseph had been there.

His strength was also exaggerated over time. People claimed he could lift a plough one-handed or that he was so fast he wore down a path to his girlfriend’s house, which is now known as the Rideau Canal.

The Bridge Battle

Joseph’s most famous story is what is known as the Bridge Battle, which took place during a period of conflict in the Ottawa Valley lumber industry called the Shiners’ Wars. This period ran roughly between 1829 and 1845 and was full of tension and violence.

The Union Bridge, now the Chaudière Bridge, connected a town in Quebec to a town in Ontario. It was a known hotspot for fights, especially around the Irish ruffians who controlled the bridge. Much of the tension came from unemployment, where Irish immigrants were trying to gain work in the lumber industry, which led to clashes with French-Canadian workers.

According to the legend, in 1829, more than 150 Shiners ambushed Joseph. The story goes that he defended himself by grabbing one of the men by the ankles and using him as a club. Claims say he left the bridge bloody, sending bodies into the Ottawa River until the others ran off.

Most agree that this version is not true. But a real incident did happen here, which likely inspired the legend.

The Real Story of Joseph Montferrand

Joseph Montferrand was very real, and he genuinely was a strong French-Canadian lumberjack. He was born in Montreal on October 25, 1802. The area he grew up in was known for its boxing halls and taverns, and his grandfather taught fencing and French boxing. So he grew up learning how to fight.

He earned a reputation early. He stood up to neighbourhood bullies and won a boxing match against a self-proclaimed champion at just sixteen years old.

He eventually moved to the Ottawa Valley to work in forestry, where he spent much of his life. He really was six feet four inches tall, fast on his feet, and skilled at many jobs. At 21, he signed on with the Hudson’s Bay Company. He became a log driver, a foreman, and a master raftsman, earning three times the salary of a regular lumberjack.

Joseph also became well known for breaking up fights. He was undefeated in English boxing and stepped in to prevent violence during political and cultural conflicts between Irish and French-Canadian workers. He became a symbol of hope and resilience.

The Real Bridge Fight

A real fight did occur on the Union Bridge, but not with 150 attackers. Instead, Joseph faced seven brothers from the MacDonald family. They tried to stop him from crossing the bridge, and he defended himself by grabbing a pole and swinging it until all seven ran away. This is likely where the exaggerated 150-man story came from.

Joseph retired around 1857, affected by rheumatism and a bent back. He returned to Montreal and died on October 4, 1864 at the age of 61.

How Joseph Became Folklore

So how did his stories turn into full-blown folklore so quickly?

Even a biographer writing only two decades after Joseph’s death struggled to sort out truth from fiction. The legend had already taken on a life of its own.

Public interest grew in the 1880s, during health debates about the differences between rural and urban life. Writers used Joseph as a symbol of the strong, healthy French-Canadian outdoorsman, which romanticized his story even more.

His legend became a point of pride.
Today, you can find:
• A massive statue of Joseph at Explorer’s Point in Mattawa
• His designation as a National Historic Person by Parks Canada
• A commemorative stamp released in 1992

Conclusion

And that is the story of Big Joe Mufferaw, or more accurately, Joseph Montferrand. Even though his background isn’t particularly scary, the story claiming he beat Irish men to death using another Irishman as a club is certainly graphic. All of it over crossing a bridge. Hopefully, that particular version is not true.

There are no ghost sightings of Joseph that I could find, but his name still echoes throughout Eastern Canada and beyond. His story may not be supernatural, but it has all the elements of a legend that refuses to die.

Explore More Local Hauntings

If stories like this make you curious about the ghosts in your own backyard, make sure to grab your free YQR Haunts: Guide to Regina Ghosts. It includes some of the top haunted locations in the city and a few stories you might not have heard yet.

👉 Download your free guide here