L'Isle-aux-Coudres, Quebec
Encyclopedia
L'Isle-aux-Coudres is a municipality in Quebec
, Canada, part of the Charlevoix MRC
in the Charlevoix
area of the Capitale-Nationale
region. It is located on and contiguous with Coudres Island (Île aux Coudres), located in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south from the mainland.
The island was named by Jacques Cartier
during his second expedition in 1535 for the many nut-bearing trees on the island. "Coudriers" is the archaic French word for Hazel
tree. Whereas the modern French spelling for "island" is île, the municipality uses the old French spelling of Isle.
Its population centres include La Baleine in the north-east, (Saint-Louis-de-)l'Isle-aux-Coudres in the south, and Saint-Bernard-sur-Mer in the north-west facing Baie-Saint-Paul. A free ferry
service connects Saint-Bernard-sur-Mer to Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive
on the north shore of the gulf.
Formerly, porpoise fishing was practiced on a broad basis, supplemented by some boat construction. Today tourism is the main industry, and the place is known for its historical sites, tourist accommodations, and craftspeople. On the beach near the ferry dock, there is a shipyard that is home to craftsmen who work according to ancestral techniques. The island is also a popular destination for cyclists.
It was the setting for the classic 1963 National Film Board of Canada
documentary Pour la suite du monde
.
which formed the Charlevoix
region. Local streams include the Rouge River and Mare Creek.
and Intendant Champigny
granted the island as a seignory to the Seminary of Quebec, an act that was ratified on March 1, 1688.
In 1728, the first concessions of land were granted to settlers, and by 1741, the Parish of Saint-Louis-de-France was formed, soon after renamed to Saint-Louis-de-l'Isle-aux-Coudres. Named after Louis IX of France
, it probably was also a tribute to Louis Chaumont (or Chaumonot) de La Jaunière (ca. 1700-1776), priest of Baie-Saint-Paul from 1736 to 1767. In 1845, the Parish Municipality of Saint-Louis-de-l'Isle-aux-Coudres was formed. In 1847, it was abolished, but reestablished in 1855, and would remain the only municipality covering the entire island for the next 80 years.
The community of Saint-Bernard-sur-Mer, first known as Pointe-des-Roches until 1936, only really developed from 1902 onward. The Parish of Saint-Bernard, named in honour of Bernard of Clairvaux
(ca. 1090-1153), was officially founded in 1934 when it separated from the Parish of Saint-Louis, and was incorporated as the Municipality of Saint-Bernard-de-l'Île-aux-Coudres in 1936.
In 1951, the Municipality of La Baleine was incorporated, when it separated from Saint-Louis-de-l'Isle-aux-Coudres. It was named after an incident that had occurred in the late 18th century when the islanders found a carcass of a dead whale
(in French: baleine) that had stranded on the island's flats. At this point, the island was divided into three municipal entities.
On January 5, 1994, the Municipality of Saint-Bernard-de-l'Île-aux-Coudres and the Parish Municipality of Saint-Louis-de-l'Isle-aux-Coudres were merged and formed the Municipality of L'Île-aux-Coudres (new spelling). On August 23, 2000, this municipality and the Municipality of La Baleine were merged again to form the new Municipality of L'Isle-aux-Coudres (old spelling).
Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 556 (total dwellings: 703)
Mother tongue:
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, part of the Charlevoix MRC
Charlevoix Regional County Municipality, Quebec
Charlevoix is a regional county municipality in northeastern Quebec, Canada. The regional county municipality seat is Baie-Saint-Paul.According to the 2001 Statistics Canada Census:*Population: 13,166*% Change : -2.0*Dwellings: 5,924...
in the Charlevoix
Charlevoix
The Charlevoix region, located in Quebec, includes parts of the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River and the Laurentian Mountains region of the Canadian Shield...
area of the Capitale-Nationale
Capitale-Nationale
Capitale-Nationale is one of 17 administrative regions of Quebec, Canada. Quebec City, Quebec's centre of government, is located in this region. It has a land area of 18,638.7 km2...
region. It is located on and contiguous with Coudres Island (Île aux Coudres), located in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
Gulf of Saint Lawrence
The Gulf of Saint Lawrence , the world's largest estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean...
about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south from the mainland.
The island was named by Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier was a French explorer of Breton origin who claimed what is now Canada for France. He was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named "The Country of Canadas", after the Iroquois names for the two big...
during his second expedition in 1535 for the many nut-bearing trees on the island. "Coudriers" is the archaic French word for Hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
tree. Whereas the modern French spelling for "island" is île, the municipality uses the old French spelling of Isle.
Its population centres include La Baleine in the north-east, (Saint-Louis-de-)l'Isle-aux-Coudres in the south, and Saint-Bernard-sur-Mer in the north-west facing Baie-Saint-Paul. A free ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service connects Saint-Bernard-sur-Mer to Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive
Les Éboulements, Quebec
Les Éboulements is a municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada.Its population centres include Les Éboulements , Éboulements-Est , Cap-aux-Oies, Sainte-Marie-de-Charlevoix, and Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive Les Éboulements is a municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec,...
on the north shore of the gulf.
Formerly, porpoise fishing was practiced on a broad basis, supplemented by some boat construction. Today tourism is the main industry, and the place is known for its historical sites, tourist accommodations, and craftspeople. On the beach near the ferry dock, there is a shipyard that is home to craftsmen who work according to ancestral techniques. The island is also a popular destination for cyclists.
It was the setting for the classic 1963 National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
documentary Pour la suite du monde
Pour la suite du monde
Pour la suite du monde is a 1963 Canadian documentary film directed by Michel Brault and Pierre Perrault. It was entered into the 1963 Cannes Film Festival....
.
Geography
The island is about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) long and averages 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) in width. It is thought to have been formed from material lifted up by the impact of the meteorMETEOR
METEOR is a metric for the evaluation of machine translation output. The metric is based on the harmonic mean of unigram precision and recall, with recall weighted higher than precision...
which formed the Charlevoix
Charlevoix
The Charlevoix region, located in Quebec, includes parts of the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River and the Laurentian Mountains region of the Canadian Shield...
region. Local streams include the Rouge River and Mare Creek.
History
On October 29, 1687, Governor DenonvilleJacques-René de Brisay de Denonville, Marquis de Denonville
Jacques-Rene de Brisay de Denonville, Marquis de Denonville was Governor General of New France from 1685 to 1689 and was a key figure in the Beaver Wars....
and Intendant Champigny
Jean Bochart de Champigny
Jean Bochart de Champigny, Sieur de Noroy et de Verneuil, chevalier , was Superintendent of Finances from 1624 to 1626 and intendant of New France from 1686 to 1702. He was the son of Jean Bochart de Champigny, intendant of Rouen, and Marie Boivin.- External links :* *...
granted the island as a seignory to the Seminary of Quebec, an act that was ratified on March 1, 1688.
In 1728, the first concessions of land were granted to settlers, and by 1741, the Parish of Saint-Louis-de-France was formed, soon after renamed to Saint-Louis-de-l'Isle-aux-Coudres. Named after Louis IX of France
Louis IX of France
Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
, it probably was also a tribute to Louis Chaumont (or Chaumonot) de La Jaunière (ca. 1700-1776), priest of Baie-Saint-Paul from 1736 to 1767. In 1845, the Parish Municipality of Saint-Louis-de-l'Isle-aux-Coudres was formed. In 1847, it was abolished, but reestablished in 1855, and would remain the only municipality covering the entire island for the next 80 years.
The community of Saint-Bernard-sur-Mer, first known as Pointe-des-Roches until 1936, only really developed from 1902 onward. The Parish of Saint-Bernard, named in honour of Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian order.After the death of his mother, Bernard sought admission into the Cistercian order. Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val...
(ca. 1090-1153), was officially founded in 1934 when it separated from the Parish of Saint-Louis, and was incorporated as the Municipality of Saint-Bernard-de-l'Île-aux-Coudres in 1936.
In 1951, the Municipality of La Baleine was incorporated, when it separated from Saint-Louis-de-l'Isle-aux-Coudres. It was named after an incident that had occurred in the late 18th century when the islanders found a carcass of a dead whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
(in French: baleine) that had stranded on the island's flats. At this point, the island was divided into three municipal entities.
On January 5, 1994, the Municipality of Saint-Bernard-de-l'Île-aux-Coudres and the Parish Municipality of Saint-Louis-de-l'Isle-aux-Coudres were merged and formed the Municipality of L'Île-aux-Coudres (new spelling). On August 23, 2000, this municipality and the Municipality of La Baleine were merged again to form the new Municipality of L'Isle-aux-Coudres (old spelling).
Demographics
Population trend:- Population in 2006: 1296 (2001 to 2006 population change: -1.7 %)
- Population in 2001: 1319
- Population in 1996:
- L'Ile-aux-Coudres (municipality): 1066
- La Baleine (municipality): 279
- Population in 1991:
- L'Ile-aux-Coudres (municipality): 1101
- La Baleine (municipality): 282
Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 556 (total dwellings: 703)
Mother tongue:
- English as first language: 0 %
- French as first language: 100 %
- English and French as first language: 0 %
- Other as first language: 0 %