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Natashquan

Coordinates: 50°11′N 61°49′W / 50.183°N 61.817°W / 50.183; -61.817
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(Redirected from Natashquan (township))

For the First Nations reserve, see Nutashkuan.
Natashquan
Municipality[1]
Little Natashquan River,[2] built heritage near Notre-Dame de Natashquan Mission
Little Natashquan River,[2] built heritage near Notre-Dame de Natashquan Mission
Natashquan is located in Côte-Nord region, Quebec
Natashquan
Natashquan
Location in Côte-Nord region of Quebec
Coordinates: 50°11′N 61°49′W / 50.183°N 61.817°W / 50.183; -61.817[1]
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
RegionCôte-Nord
RCMMinganie
Settled1855
ConstitutedSeptember 16, 1907
Government
[3]
 • MayorHenri Wapistan
 • Federal ridingManicouagan
 • Prov. ridingDuplessis
Area
[3][4]
 • Total
695.43 km2 (268.51 sq mi)
 • Land667.91 km2 (257.88 sq mi)
Elevation
10.7 m (35.1 ft)
Population
 (2021)[4]
 • Total
262
 • Density0.4/km2 (1/sq mi)
 • Pop 2016–2021
Decrease 0.4%
 • Dwellings
156
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Within the AST legislated time zone boundary but observes EST[5])
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Postal code(s)
G0G 2E0
Area code(s)418 and 581
Highways R-138
Websitewww.natashquan.org

Natashquan is a municipality located on the north shore of Jacques Cartier Strait, on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in the Côte-Nord region, Minganie RCM, Quebec, Canada.

Natashquan stretches along the coast, on both sides of the Little Natashquan River,[2] about 120 km east of Havre-Saint-Pierre, near Aguanish and the Natashkuan Indian reserve.[1]

Pointe-Parent

[edit]

In addition to the village of Natashquan itself, the municipality also includes the hamlet of Pointe-Parent located on the Natashquan River shore, directly adjacent to the Natashquan Reserve.

The hamlet of Pointe-Parent, once also known as Pointe-du-Poste or Village-du-Poste, name Matshiteu by the Innu, which means “the point of land”, is located near the Natashkuan Indian reserve, in the municipality of Natashquan.[6]

It is home to some fishermen's homes and was served by a post office from 1953 to 1976. Pointe-Parent was named after priest Pierre-Clément Parent (1733–1784) who served as missionary in Tadoussac and Labrador and died in Natashquan.[6][7]

On the Lower-Côte-Nord Shore, except opposite the large Natashquan delta and in the bottom of the bays, the coastline is rocky. At this place, the cliffs are scattered and we find rather large arms of the sea and a multitude of islands and reefs, testifying to a submerged terrain. The natural province is entirely included in the Grenville geological province.[8]

Notre-Dame-de-Natashquan Mission

[edit]

Between 1855 and 1860, the pioneers of Natashquan lived without a parish organization, the construction of the church began in July 1859, the pioneer families participated in cutting the necessary wood inland from the great Natashquan River. The Notre-Dame-de-Natashquan Mission was founded on the west bank of the Little Natashquan River.[2][9]

The same year, 1859, the Flora, a three-masted ship 126 feet long, weighing 43 tons, built in Quebec by Narcisse Rosa,[10] ran aground on the banks of Natashquan, it was so silted up that it was impossible to refloat it. However, the pioneers of Natashquan managed to remove pieces of wood to build their houses, but above all, their new church.

In September 1860, the American sailing ship Moses Taylor, weighing 6,000 tons, loaded with wood, arriving from Liverpool was shipwreck in Natashquan while heading towards Quebec. The misfortune of some making the happiness of others, the pioneers of Natashquan, once again, retired from this shipwreck a significant quantity of wood which they used in the construction of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church or Notre-dame de Natashquan Mission.[9][11]

  • Natashquan Built heritage
  • The churh view from the wooden sidewalk and stores of the patrimonial site, on the sea shore
    The churh view from the wooden sidewalk and stores of the patrimonial site, on the sea shore
  • Little Natashquan River,[2] the Roman Catholic church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church or Notre-Dame de Natashquan Mission
    Little Natashquan River,[2] the Roman Catholic church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church or Notre-Dame de Natashquan Mission

History

[edit]
Ursus americanus. - Ours noir. - (American Black Bear)

Natashquan is an Innu name generally translated as "where we caught the Black bear" or as "he hunts the bear". In 1684, the explorer Louis Jolliet spelled other spellings appearing with time. Noutascoüan, Nontascouanne, Natasquan, Nataskwan, Natashkwan, Natosquan, Nataskouan.[1]

A trading post already existed in 1710 at the mouth of the Natashquan River, the settlement of Natashquan in the eponymous township was not founded until 1855 when the first settlers arrived. They were Acadians from the Magdalen Islands, particularly Île du Havre Aubert (in English Amherst Island),[12] Île du Cap aux Meules (in English Grindstone).[13]

In 1855, the name Notre-Dame-de-Natashquan was given to the mission founded on the west bank of the Little Natashquan River.[2] In 1869, Natashquan became the name of a township on the North Shore, in 1907, the name was transferred to the township municipality established in 1907.

The post office opened in August 1872.[14]

In 1958, the first electricity cooperative was formed and electricity was finally installed in homes. Television followed in the 1970s.[15]

On June 18, 2016, Natashquan changed status from township municipality to a (regular) municipality. The new term was made official by the Commission de toponymie du Québec.[16][1]

Les Galets historic site

[edit]
Info panel: in fishing season, fishermen, fish and boats

Located along the Gulf of St. Lawrence, northwest of the Little Natashquan River,[2] classified in 2006, the Galets historic site is a place formerly devoted to fishing activities.[17]

The site, approximately one hundred square meters, is built on a rocky peninsula which rises three meters above the sea. In the 1880s, there were 23 stores or shingles, there were 30 at the beginning of the 20th century, in 2024, twelve small buildings remain, some of which are 150 years old.

From the start of settlement in 1855 until 1937, the height of fishing, the place was mainly exploited by local and independent fishermen and sometimes, itinerant merchants and a few fishing companies.[17]

Red and white, clinging to their rocky bases, the 12 remaining Natashquan Pebbles bear witness to a past of abundant fishing for cod, salmon, herring and even seal hunting in the spring.“Les Galets is our Eiffel Tower! » says Bernard Landry, a native of Natashquan.[18]

Bernard Landry is the initiator of the village collective whit the collaboration of 217 people dedicated a book: «Laissez-nous vous raconter», a volume of more than 1,000 pages, published by the Historical Society of the North Shore, April 2023.[19]

  • Les Galets historic site on the sea shore
  • Original fishermen huts (magasins du Galet), Little Natasquan River[2]
    Original fishermen huts (magasins du Galet), Little Natasquan River[2]

Transportation

[edit]

Route 138

[edit]
Route 138 East, Donald Gallienne Bridge over the Moisie River, from the hamlet of Matamec, towards Moisie

At the beginning of the 20th century, the first routes of what would become Route 138 (formerly Route 15) were laid in the vicinity of Sept-Îles. In 1961, a section was added from the Franquelin region to the tip of the Moisie River, some 20 kilometres east of Sept-Îles.

On the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, until 1976, there was no continuous route to go further east than the Moisie River. Only bits of paths connect a few coastal villages to each other, Natashquan connects to Aguanish by a dirt road (1959).

Before 1996, it was only accessible via boat or airplane. That year, Route 138 was extended to Natashquan, connecting it to Havre-Saint-Pierre and ending its isolation from Quebec's road network.[15]

Natashquan Airport and Natashquan (Lac de l'Avion) Water Aerodrome also served the community.

Port of Natashquan

[edit]
Natashquan marine Terminal,[20][21] Transport Canada pannel, Quebec region Côte-Nord

Property of Transport Canada, the port of Natashquan is used by the cargo ship M/V Bella Desgagnés, a boat of the company Nordik Express,[22][23] for the weekly supply of general merchandise to the local population and by a fishing fleet during the season, in Anticosti Island, Côte-Nord and Bas-St-Laurent regions.[21]

Almost all of Quebec's ports are located along the St. Lawrence River seaway, from its source to its gulf, to the Atlantic Ocean. The main ports of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, on the Côte-Nord shore are: Blanc-Sablon, Harrington Harbor, Natashquan, Havre-Saint-Pierre, Mingan, Port-Menier (Anticosti Island), Cap-aux-Meules (Îles-de-la-Madeleine).[20][26]

Climate

[edit]

Natashquan experiences a borderline subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc) that is just short of being classed as a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). Summers are mild, moderated by the Gulf of St Lawrence and winters are cold and snowy, with annual snowfall averaging 140 inches (356 cm).[27]

Climate data for Natashquan
WMO ID: 71513; coordinates 50°11′24″N 61°47′20″W / 50.19000°N 61.78889°W / 50.19000; -61.78889 (Natashquan A); elevation: 11.9 m (39 ft); 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1914–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high humidex 8.1 7.0 10.0 16.7 25.2 30.8 35.9 33.2 31.2 22.1 15.0 8.7 35.9
Record high °C (°F) 8.2
(46.8) 		7.5
(45.5) 		12.8
(55.0) 		17.8
(64.0) 		23.9
(75.0) 		27.5
(81.5) 		29.1
(84.4) 		28.3
(82.9) 		26.1
(79.0) 		19.4
(66.9) 		14.4
(57.9) 		9.4
(48.9) 		29.1
(84.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −7.4
(18.7) 		−6.8
(19.8) 		−1.9
(28.6) 		3.5
(38.3) 		10.4
(50.7) 		16.0
(60.8) 		19.5
(67.1) 		19.4
(66.9) 		14.9
(58.8) 		8.9
(48.0) 		2.7
(36.9) 		−3.5
(25.7) 		6.3
(43.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −12.9
(8.8) 		−12.3
(9.9) 		−7.1
(19.2) 		−0.5
(31.1) 		5.8
(42.4) 		11.3
(52.3) 		15.1
(59.2) 		14.8
(58.6) 		10.3
(50.5) 		4.9
(40.8) 		−1.2
(29.8) 		−8.0
(17.6) 		1.7
(35.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −18.2
(−0.8) 		−17.8
(0.0) 		−12.2
(10.0) 		−4.5
(23.9) 		1.1
(34.0) 		6.5
(43.7) 		10.6
(51.1) 		10.1
(50.2) 		5.7
(42.3) 		0.9
(33.6) 		−5.0
(23.0) 		−12.5
(9.5) 		−3.0
(26.6)
Record low °C (°F) −42.8
(−45.0) 		−38.8
(−37.8) 		−33.7
(−28.7) 		−24.1
(−11.4) 		−12.8
(9.0) 		−3.9
(25.0) 		1.1
(34.0) 		−1.1
(30.0) 		−7.8
(18.0) 		−15.0
(5.0) 		−25.6
(−14.1) 		−35.0
(−31.0) 		−42.8
(−45.0)
Record low wind chill −52.3 −47.9 −42.9 −31.3 −17.9 −15.0 0.0 −3.4 −8.1 −19.6 −30.4 −46.2 −52.3
Average precipitation mm (inches) 76.3
(3.00) 		62.3
(2.45) 		91.0
(3.58) 		65.9
(2.59) 		86.0
(3.39) 		81.2
(3.20) 		113.2
(4.46) 		80.7
(3.18) 		97.7
(3.85) 		107.9
(4.25) 		95.8
(3.77) 		82.1
(3.23) 		1,039.9
(40.94)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 17.6
(0.69) 		13.4
(0.53) 		26.7
(1.05) 		50.9
(2.00) 		82.1
(3.23) 		88.0
(3.46) 		105.4
(4.15) 		93.7
(3.69) 		95.0
(3.74) 		98.8
(3.89) 		69.3
(2.73) 		25.8
(1.02) 		766.5
(30.18)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 79.5
(31.3) 		61.2
(24.1) 		67.7
(26.7) 		30.8
(12.1) 		4.1
(1.6) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		5.0
(2.0) 		34.9
(13.7) 		72.3
(28.5) 		355.4
(139.9)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 17.2 15.8 15.5 13.2 14.3 12.7 16.0 12.7 14.1 15.0 15.3 16.7 178.5
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 1.9 2.4 4.4 8.8 13.5 12.8 15.0 12.8 13.7 14.5 9.3 4.3 113.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 18.7 15.7 14.0 8.8 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.0 9.2 16.1 86.0
Average relative humidity (%) (at 1500 LST) 69.9 67.7 69.0 70.6 67.7 69.5 74.4 74.3 74.1 72.8 73.6 72.9 71.4
Mean monthly sunshine hours 103.3 120.9 146.6 165.3 205.6 224.0 235.3 227.8 171.4 126.0 96.4 86.7 1,909.3
Percent possible sunshine 38.8 42.7 39.9 40.1 43.0 45.8 47.7 50.8 45.1 37.7 35.4 34.4 41.8
Source: Environment Canada[28] (rain/rain days, snow/snow days and sun 1981–2010)[29]

Demographics

[edit]
Canada census – Natashquan community profile
202120162011
Population262 (-0.4% from 2016)263 (-5.1% from 2011)246 (-6.8% from 2006)
Land area667.91 km2 (257.88 sq mi)197.60 km2 (76.29 sq mi)203.51 km2 (78.58 sq mi)
Population density0.4/km2 (1.0/sq mi)1.3/km2 (3.4/sq mi)1.2/km2 (3.1/sq mi)
Median age52.4 (M: 55.6, F: 48.4)53.5 (M: 54.8, F: 52.0)52.5 (M: 52.8, F: 51.8)
Private dwellings156 (total)  121 (occupied)158 (total)  165 (total) 
Median household income$72,000$63,360$.N/A
Notes: 2011 income data for this area has been suppressed for data quality or confidentiality reasons.
References: 2021[30] 2016[31] 2011[32] earlier[33][34]
Historical Census Data – Natashquan, Quebec (township)
YearPop.±%
1921 263—    
1931 321+22.1%
1941 236−26.5%
1951 435+84.3%
1956 425−2.3%
1961 549+29.2%
YearPop.±%
1966 523−4.7%
1971 442−15.5%
1976 427−3.4%
1981 451+5.6%
1986 401−11.1%
1991 380−5.2%
YearPop.±%
1996 356−6.3%
2001 366+2.8%
2006 264−27.9%
2011 277+4.9%
2016 263−5.1%
2021 262−0.4%
Source: Statistics Canada[35]

Language

[edit]

Mother tongue (2021):[4]

  • English as first language: 1.9%
  • French as first language: 96.1%
  • English and French as first language: 0%
  • Other as first language: 3.8%

Notable people

[edit]

Natashquan was the birthplace of singer Gilles Vigneault, who named a song after the municipality ("C'est à Natashquan") on the 2008 album Arriver Chez Soi.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "Natashquan, municipality toponymy". Gouvernement of Quebec (in French). Commission de Toponymy Quebec. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2024. ... a trading post already existed there in 1710 at the mouth of the Natashquan River, near the current Indian reserve.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Catherine Simard-Côté; Nancy Caron; N’Binkena Nantob-Bikatui; Marie-Claude Roy; Marina Boudreau; Toufik Naili; Zaccharia Kacem (10 April 2024). "Petite rivière Natashquan, 410 km" (PDF) (in French). Regional plan for wetlands and water bodies of the RCM of Minganie (PRMHH). pp. 169 of 316. Retrieved 7 October 2024. The mouth of the Petite rivière Natashquan is crossed by route 138 and is located in the heart of the village of Natashquan.
  3. ^ a b "Répertoire des municipalités - Natashquan". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Natashquan, Municipalité (MÉ) Quebec Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  5. ^ National Research Council Canada – Time Zones & Daylight Saving Time Archived 2010-03-17 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ a b "Pointe-Parent, hamlet, toponymy". Gouvernement of Quebec (in French). Commission de Toponymy Quebec. 5 December 1968. Retrieved 7 October 2024. This small town has already received other names: Pointe-du-Poste and Village-du-Poste. The Innu call the place Matshiteu, which means "the point of land".
  7. ^ "Pointe-Parent (hameau)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
  8. ^ Sylvie Dionne; Daniel Chevrier; Benoît Gauthier; Stéphanie Goyette (December 2009). "New three-phase line between Pointe-Parent and the village of La Romaine" (PDF) (in French). Archéotec inc. p. 116. Retrieved 11 October 2024. Study of archaeological potential. The North Shore Platform straddles crystalline rocks and rocks sedimentary while the Coastal Plain is located in crystalline rocks.
  9. ^ a b Bernard Landry; Guillaume Hubermont (2013–2024). "150 years of the Natashquan church" (in French). The Gulf Historical Society. Retrieved 8 October 2024. It is to the Carbonneau dynasty, father, son and to a certain extent grandsons, that we owe the construction, expansion and maintenance of the current church of Natashquan.
  10. ^ Narcisse Rosa, Former builder (1897). "The construction of ships in Quebec and its surroundings: strikes and shipwrecks" (in French). Library and National Archives of Quebec. Retrieved 8 October 2024. No more ships are being built wooden. All major projects in Lévis and of Quebec, so famous in the past, have disappeared
  11. ^ "Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church" (in French). Directory of Quebec cultural heritage. 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024. This wooden building with a Latin cross plan with a projecting choir and apse with a flat apse is representative of the first churches built in Minganie.
  12. ^ Commission de toponymie Québec. "Île du Havre Aubert" (in French). Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  13. ^ Commission de toponymie Québec. "Île du Cap aux Meules" (in French). Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Natashquan Post Office, toponymy". Gouvernement of Quebec (in French). Commission de Toponymy Quebec. 18 December 1986. Retrieved 8 October 2024. This post office began its activities in August 1872. Around ten postmasters worked there, including Alfred Vigneault who held this role for 33 years, from 1890 to 1923.
  15. ^ a b "Historique de Natashquan". www.natashquan.org. Municipalité de Natashquan. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  16. ^ "Changes to municipalities of Quebec" (PDF). Gouvernement of Quebec (in French). Quebec Statistics Institute. June 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2024. The June 2016 bulletin contains modifications to the municipalities of Natashquan CT (98025) and Mille-Isles M (76030) as well as another relating to territorial divisions.
  17. ^ a b "Site historique des Galets" (in French). Canada Historic Places. 11 May 2006. Retrieved 10 October 2024. As soon as they were established, the pioneers built "stores" or "pebbles", used for storing fishing tackle, for salting and drying cod as well as for preserving seal oil.
  18. ^ "The memory of Natashquan" (in French). The maritime Quebec blog. September 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2024. ... time when fishermen went offshore aboard schooners, trawlers or barges in search of fish, starting with cod, stalked by these sailors throughout the autumn, and which, in the heyday of its trade, made turn the local economy around.
  19. ^ Bernard Landry (18 April 2023). "Let us tell you - Six volumes of Natashquan's logbook" (in French). Historical Society of the North Shore. Retrieved 11 October 2024. The life we are told is generally happy and happiness here makes fun of distance, isolation and sometimes precarious living conditions.
  20. ^ a b Pierre Camu (1959). "Ports in the province of Quebec" (PDF). Quebec geography notebooks (in French). Department of Geography at Laval University - udit. pp. 3 of 10. Retrieved 13 October 2024. Ports of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, on the Côte-Nord Shore: Blanc-Sablon, Harrington Harbor, Natashquan, Havre-Saint-Pierre, Mingan, Port-Menier (Anticosti Island), Cap-aux-Meules (Îles-de-la -Madeleine)
  21. ^ a b Jacques Ruel; Gilles Desgagnés; Claude Fleury; Jacques Therrien (December 1997). "Towards a transportation plan for the North Shore, maritime transport, Port of Natashquan" (PDF). Transports Canada (in French). Maritime, air and rail transport standards service. pp. 28 of 83. Retrieved 16 October 2024. the quay is mainly used by the boat (Nordik Express) for the maritime service of the Lower North Shore for the weekly supply of the local population with general merchandise
  22. ^ "About Relais Nordik". Groupe Desgagnés. 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024. ... primary mission is to provide maritime service to Anticosti Island and the Lower North Shore, to make weekly deliveries of goods destined for the population.
  23. ^ "Bella Desgagnés positions". Bella Desgagnés. 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024. M/V Bella Desgagnés schedule, As per weather conditions, map to follow ship's progress here in real time.
  24. ^ "Joncas Island, toponymy". Gouvernement of Quebec (in French). Commission de Toponymy Quebec. 5 December 1960. ... dominates the Petit Havre islands, located north of Natashquan Bay. A little more than 1 km as the crow flies west of the village, Joncas Island appears like a 500 m drop of water whose tip turns towards the southwest.
  25. ^ Bernard Landry; Laurent Jomphe (2020). "The Joncas Island lighthouse in Natashquan" (PDF). Friends of Lighthouses Newsletter (in French). Retrieved 11 October 2024. Joncas Island is located near Natashquan, almost opposite the village. On the point, a red granite rock where there is no vegetation, a lighthouse was built at during the year 1906 in order to make navigation easier and safer.
  26. ^ "Monthly and annual statistics Statistics on marine transportation occurrences". Gouvernement of Canada. Transportation Safety Board of Canada. 2024. Retrieved 13 October 2024. Marine transportation Data and statistics Monthly and annual statistics, Monthly and Annual
  27. ^ Canada, Environment and Climate Change (2013-09-25). "Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010 Station Data - Climate - Environment and Climate Change Canada". climate.weather.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  28. ^ "Inukjuak Quebec". Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020. Environment and Climate Change Canada. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  29. ^ "1981-2010 Climate Normals & Averages". Gouvernement of Canada. 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024. Climate Normals and Averages are used to summarize or describe the average climatic conditions of a particular location.
  30. ^ "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-27.
  31. ^ "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  32. ^ "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2014-02-16.
  33. ^ "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
  34. ^ "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
  35. ^ "2016 t0 2021 Census of Population". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2024. 2016 to 2021, Population and dwellings, Age characteristics, Household and dwelling characteristics, Marital status, etc.,
[edit]
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