At one time the fish hatchery even housed a small group of white-tail deer which entertained tourists and locals alike. If one kept walking north past the hatchery ponds you would arrive at the York River where Sunny Bankers have hunted ducks and trapped muskrats for generations.

 Back on the main highway we head westward through an area that was mainly wooded until recently when a few houses were constructed. The York Rink (#2), built by a group of volunteers in 1970, soon looms into view on the right.

 Closing your eyes for just a few moments one can easily visualize dozens of laughing children playing shinny hockey; Sunday afternoon skating, with scores of people ranging in age from four to seventy-four; and winter carnivals with as many as 85 youngsters in costume. In the woods just beyond the rink lie the remains of old buildings constructed as part of a summer playground. These have been abandoned in recent years.

 Next to the rink is St. Andrew's Church (#3), which at the time of its construction in 1929 was the largest wooden framed church in the Province of Quebec. Its ability to seat over 300 people is rarely needed today, with Sunday service attendance frequently fewer than thirty persons, although weddings and funerals often fill it to capacity. Beyond the church is the St. Andrew's Cemetery which was consecrated in 1893, and has become the final resting place for hundreds of York residents.

Between the rink and the church lies an almost obscure road leading to a creek near the river. At the edge of the water lie the remains of a wharf once used each spring during the log drive on the York River. At waters edge one can feel alone in a natural surrounding, detached from civilization, watching migratory birds feeding in the marshy tidal creeks.

 Continuing our walk along the highway we cross Mac's Brook, home to dozens of tiny brook trout. Few children grew up in Sunny Bank without trying to catch some of these, considered in childhood to be as great a prize as the famed Atlantic Salmon of the York River.

 The forested area to your immediate left was the former sight of the Gaspe Fish Hatchery. However, when it was seen that Mac's Brook couldn't supply the water needed, the hatchery was moved to its new location on the Mill Brook. Ambitious people may opt to take the trail through this woods where you can still find remains of old buildings and the former dam site.

 The next landmark we pass is an apartment building (#4) on our right. This former school-house was constructed in two stages, the east half in 1935, and the rest in 1938. This four-room structure was needed to house the ever increasing number of youngsters in York. From 1938 until it closed in 1957, it was York's only school, with grades one to ten under the same roof. After that all students were bussed to Gaspe High School, a single modern building serving the entire region with grades one to eleven. 

Descending the "School Hill" along the highway we arrive at the flat portion of Sunny Bank, the flood plain of the York River. As we walk along we see an increasing number of houses. To our left the hill comes into view, which has provided excellent sliding and skiing to generations of Sunny Bank residents. However, much of the land that was painstakingly cleared and farmed by our forefathers is being reclaimed by forest.

Following York Boulevard we turn right toward Wakeham, where a bridge (#5) spans the York River. Less than a century ago a "pull yourself" raft, connected by rope and pulleys to both shores, ferried pedestrians across the river during summer. This crude service was replaced by a covered bridge in 1897. The fourth bridge on this sight, the one we are now standing on, was constructed in 1976.

 As we stand here we can look eastward down the river toward Gaspe, where well over two centuries ago, John Paterson would have paddled with his young family to his homestead on the bank of the river just west of the bridge. For more than a century, canoes provided the only means of transportation in and out of Sunny Bank.

Standing here in the springtime gazing into the still waters below the bridge one can often see several Atlantic salmon at a time. These range in weight from four to forty pounds. These same waters are frequented in summer by swimmers, especially thrill-seekers who leap from the bridge for the excitement of falling 20 to 30 feet into the deep clear water below. Westward we look up the York River. Its source is some 100 km away, near the town of Murdochville which was built around the copper mine discovered by the Miller brothers of Sunny Bank.

 Retracing our tracks south we again pass a garage owned by the local entrepreneur, Bobby McGregor. A right turn onto Sunny Bank Street leads us into the most densely populated area. Houses are often three layers deep because children and grand-children built progressively closer to the road. Over half of Sunny Bank's population of almost 250 people live in the next half kilometre.

 Almost immediately to our right is the "Old Lane." This was the original road to Wakeham, until the re-construction of York Blvd. West in 1976. Since that time it has been host to more hockey games than the Montreal Forum, and is a favorite spot for skate-boarders during the hot summer months.

 Right at the corner is Miller Grocery. It was operated for many years as B & R Patterson, and before that it was owned by Wilson Miller. This general store has served the residents of Sunny Bank for well over 50 years. We are now crossing the original Patterson property settled in about 1768 by John Paterson of Scotland. For the next few hundred metres there is a considerable mixture of old and modern houses. Approaching Philip's Turn (#6) we pass the former Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses, recently converted into two apartments. This sharp left turn was named after Philip Patterson, who resided nearby for many years.

 Passing Salon 80 we look straight ahead at "Philip's Hill," a glacial deposit remaining from the last ice age, now a favorite sliding spot for young children. Another such deposit of gravel lies to the left, once referred to as the "Old Round Hill." Much of this hill has been removed and hauled away for gravel, leaving a water-filled depression where once lay a tree-covered knoll.

 As the road swings left at Philip's Turn (#6) we move farther from the river. The gap is referred to as "The Islands." It is an area where large tracts of usable land are separated by hollows and creeks which fill to overflowing during the annual spring run-off. These islands were once used to keep sheep and cattle, and to make hay, when farming was an important way of life in Sunny Bank. Several hundred metres ahead on the right we pass the island lane, once heavily used by the farmers. Now it mainly serves children who enjoy rugged biking. Soon the road makes a slight curve to the right. A couple of hundred metres farther it turns to gravel (#7), and fades into the forest. A left turn will lead up the "Big Hill" which handles a great deal of traffic during the fishing and hunting seasons. On this road one can reach many of Gaspe's finest trout lakes, as well as the St. John River, famous for its abundance of Atlantic salmon. If we continue straight, avoiding the "Big Hill," we travel past the Long Reach and continue following the York River to the McDonald Block. This area once provided some of the finest deer hunting in the Gaspe area.

This tiny portion of a flood-plain along a river that is globally insignificant, has accumulated an incredible history in a span of a mere two and a quarter centuries. The following pages will elaborate on much of this, though still leaving numerous stories untold.