Gagnon, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Gagnon, Quebec is a ghost town
on Barbel Lake, formerly a mining
town, in the Côte-Nord
region of Quebec
, Canada. Formerly an incorporated municipality, it is now part of the unorganized territory of Rivière-Mouchalagane
.
Gagnon was founded by the Québec Cartier Mining Company
for the purposes of mining iron ore at Jeannine Lake. In the winter of 1957, the first plane arrived, bringing materials to built a pilot plant. By August of that year, the plant had processed a thousand tons of ore. On January 28, 1960, it was incorporated as Ville de Gagnon and named after Onésime Gagnon
, the first Minister of Mining in Quebec. In the summer of 1960, a large forest fire came within 400 metres (1,312.3 ft) of the town, prompting the evacuation of women and children. Thereafter it rapidly grew to 1300 inhabitants by the end of that year, and at its peak, Gagnon had more than 4000 residents. It had an airport, churches, schools, a town hall, an arena, a hospital, and a large commercial centre, despite being isolated and only accessible by plane.
In 1974, mining began at Fire Lake, some 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) north-east of Gagnon, while the Jeannine Lake Mine closed in 1977. By the mid-1980s however, following the iron crisis of 1982, it was no longer turning a profit. The mines were closed and the town fully dismantled in 1985. All buildings and nearly all of the streets were dismantled.
The town's main street is all that remains. It became part of Route 389
two years after the town's closure. That section of highway retains a boulevard configuration, complete with a median, sidewalks, and sewers, despite being deep in the wilderness, hundreds of kilometres from the nearest active community.
Gagnon had the first black mayor in the history of Quebec, Haiti
an immigrant René Coicou who was mayor from 1973 to 1985.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
on Barbel Lake, formerly a mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
town, in the Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord is the second largest administrative region by land area in Quebec, Canada, after Nord-du-Québec...
region of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada. Formerly an incorporated municipality, it is now part of the unorganized territory of Rivière-Mouchalagane
Rivière-Mouchalagane, Quebec
Rivière-Mouchalagane is an unorganized territory in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada, part of Caniapiscau Regional County Municipality.The ghost town of Gagnon is located in the territory along Quebec Route 389 which also provides access to Fermont and Labrador City.The eponymous Mouchalagane...
.
Gagnon was founded by the Québec Cartier Mining Company
Québec Cartier Mining Company
Québec Cartier Mining Company was one of the leading producers of iron ore products in North America, now part of ArcelorMittal.The company was founded in the late 1950s by multiple Canadian and American investors, based in Quebec, Canada. The first open pit mine was located in Lac-Jeanine, Quebec....
for the purposes of mining iron ore at Jeannine Lake. In the winter of 1957, the first plane arrived, bringing materials to built a pilot plant. By August of that year, the plant had processed a thousand tons of ore. On January 28, 1960, it was incorporated as Ville de Gagnon and named after Onésime Gagnon
Onésime Gagnon
Onésime Gagnon, PC was a Canadian politician and the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Québec.-Background:He was born in Saint-Léon-de-Standon, Quebec on October 23, 1888 and was the son of Onésime Gagnon and Julie Morin. He was a Rhodes scholar and was called to the Quebec Bar in 1912...
, the first Minister of Mining in Quebec. In the summer of 1960, a large forest fire came within 400 metres (1,312.3 ft) of the town, prompting the evacuation of women and children. Thereafter it rapidly grew to 1300 inhabitants by the end of that year, and at its peak, Gagnon had more than 4000 residents. It had an airport, churches, schools, a town hall, an arena, a hospital, and a large commercial centre, despite being isolated and only accessible by plane.
In 1974, mining began at Fire Lake, some 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) north-east of Gagnon, while the Jeannine Lake Mine closed in 1977. By the mid-1980s however, following the iron crisis of 1982, it was no longer turning a profit. The mines were closed and the town fully dismantled in 1985. All buildings and nearly all of the streets were dismantled.
The town's main street is all that remains. It became part of Route 389
Quebec route 389
Quebec's Route 389 connects Route 138 adjacent to Baie-Comeau with the Newfoundland and Labrador border, connecting with the Trans-Labrador Highway to Wabush and Labrador City, and beyond to Goose Bay...
two years after the town's closure. That section of highway retains a boulevard configuration, complete with a median, sidewalks, and sewers, despite being deep in the wilderness, hundreds of kilometres from the nearest active community.
Gagnon had the first black mayor in the history of Quebec, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an immigrant René Coicou who was mayor from 1973 to 1985.