Saint-François-du-Lac, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Saint-François-du-Lac is a community
in the Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality
of Quebec
, Canada
. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census
was 2,002. It is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence
and Saint-François
rivers, at the edge of Lac Saint-Pierre
(hence its name, "Saint-François of the lake").
Saint-François-du-Lac faces the town of Pierreville
from across the Saint-François River, and lies at the junction of Route 132
and Route 143
.
in the aftermath of King Philip's War
. The village and buildings were burned in an attack
by Rogers' Rangers
, an irregular British provincial force, during the Seven Years War (also known as the French and Indian War
) on October 4, 1759.
Odanak was later re-established as an Indian reserve
for Abenaki next to the village of Saint-Francois-du-Lac.
(+) Amalgamation of the Parish and the Village of Saint-François-du-Lac on December 31, 1997.
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
in the Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality
Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality, Quebec
Nicolet-Yamaska is a Regional County Municipality in the Centre-du-Québec region of Quebec in Canada.The county seat is Nicolet.-Communities:*Cities and Towns** Nicolet*Municipalities** Aston-Jonction** Baie-du-Febvre** Grand-Saint-Esprit...
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
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
was 2,002. It is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
and Saint-François
Saint-François River
The Saint-François River is a river in the Canadian province of Quebec.The Saint-François takes its source from Lake Saint-François in Chaudière-Appalaches, southeast of Thetford Mines...
rivers, at the edge of Lac Saint-Pierre
Lac Saint-Pierre
Lac Saint-Pierre is a lake in Quebec, Canada, located on the Saint Lawrence River between Sorel-Tracy and Trois-Rivières, downstream and east of Montreal. Including its shoreline, islands, and wetlands, the lake is a nature reserve...
(hence its name, "Saint-François of the lake").
Saint-François-du-Lac faces the town of Pierreville
Pierreville, Quebec
Pierreville is a community in Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality, Quebec, located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Saint-François rivers, at the edge of Lac Saint-Pierre. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 2,337....
from across the Saint-François River, and lies at the junction of Route 132
Quebec route 132
Route 132 is the longest highway in Quebec. It follows the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River from the border with the state of New York in the hamlet of Dundee , west of Montreal to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and circles the Gaspé Peninsula...
and Route 143
Quebec route 143
Route 143 is a north/south highway on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. Until the mid-1970s when the province decided to renumber all highways other than autoroutes, it was known as Route/Highway 5...
.
History
This was founded as a Jesuit mission village during the colonial years. The community was called St.-Francois-de-Sales or Odanak. Indians from the community, which included refugees from wars with English colonists, participated in many raids, some of them organized and led by French military men, against English colonial settlements in New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
in the aftermath of King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
. The village and buildings were burned in an attack
St. Francis Raid
The St. Francis Raid was an attack in the French and Indian War by Robert Rogers and a band of his Rangers on the primarily Abenaki village of St. Francis, near the southern shore of the Saint Lawrence River in what was then the French province of Canada, on October 4, 1759...
by Rogers' Rangers
Rogers' Rangers
Rogers' Rangers was an independent company of colonial militia, attached to the British Army during the Seven Years War . The unit was informally trained by Major Robert Rogers as a rapidly deployable light infantry force tasked with reconnaissance and conducting special operations against distant...
, an irregular British provincial force, during the Seven Years War (also known as the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
) on October 4, 1759.
Odanak was later re-established as an Indian reserve
Indian reserve
In Canada, an Indian reserve is specified by the Indian Act as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." The Act also specifies that land reserved for the use and benefit of a band which is not...
for Abenaki next to the village of Saint-Francois-du-Lac.
Population
Population trend| Census | Population | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 2,002 | 2.1% |
| Boundary change | 1,961 | 0.8% |
| 2001 | 1,976 | 1.2% |
| Merger (+) | 2,001 | 45.3% |
| 1996 | 1,095 | 7.5% |
| 1991 | 1,019 | N/A |
(+) Amalgamation of the Parish and the Village of Saint-François-du-Lac on December 31, 1997.
Language
Mother tongue language (2006)| Language | Population | Pct (%) |
|---|---|---|
| French only | 1,935 | 97.97% |
| English only | 30 | 1.52% |
| Both English and French | 0 | 0.00% |
| Other languages | 10 | 0.51% |