Lake-Kénogami (city)

History

the road of the furs and voyages of exploration

According to the archaeological excavations carried out between 1964 and 1967 with the Green lake, the very first human presence on the territory of the lake Kénogami would go back to 4.000 years (period of the forestry inferior). The oldest vestiges discovered by the archeologists were allotted to the Adena culture.

There always existed, for more or less long periods, an Amerindian presence in the sector of the lake Kénogami.

In 1947, the Albanel Father, at the time of its first voyage, specified the existence of huts of " Savages of Sillery". During the beautiful years of the station of draft of Chicoutimi, a colony of autochtones lived on banks of the lake Kénogami. In 1828, the Commission of investigators on the potential of the area to colonization will not notice any permanent presence of autochtones. The Amerindians came there for hunting.

Well before the arrival of the White, existed a road of traffic of the furs crossing from beginning to end the area of the Saguenay-Lake-Saint-Jean and whose starting point was Tadoussac and the point of arrival the Bay-James. The lake Kénogami belonged to the route. The total way took a score of days (Figure 1). The missionaries, large propagating of the word of Jesus-Christ near the nations autochtones, followed also this road. They were the first to penetrate the exclusive domain of Montagnais (Figure 2). The trappers, the traffickers and the son of the governor of Three-Rivers followed it too.

The merit of the first description of the lake Kénogami is allocated to the Father Jean Dequen, discoverer of the lake Midsummer's Day (1647).

Thereafter, were added descriptions of Joseph-Louis Normandin (1732), François Verreault, J.B. Stained and Members of the Commission of investigation of 1828.

The reports/ratios of Normandin, Baddeley and Bouchette described a place called Pointe with Sand. They saw in this place the ideal place for the introduction of a village.

the mission Caskouia (Saint-Cyriac)

Cyriac Buckell, the first resident

The first resident to come to be established on this territory was Cyriac Buckell. Buckell would have been aide-de-camp of the team of investigators of 1828. At the beginning of those, it would have settled in the sector around the year 1829. As the area of the Saguenay-Lake-Saint-Jean was a stronghold of the company of Hudson Bay and that it prohibited the entry of the colonists, Buckell, to thwart it, adopted the Amerindian lifestyle. It resided on the northern side at the place called Pointe at Sand near the mouth of the river at Sands. He was regarded as one of the first squatters of Saguenay and had 250 bitter ground (Figure 3).

To the beginning of the year 1860, Buckell will settle with the Cascouia Bay (Figure 3). It is in his/her Charles son that it spent the last years of his life. The name of Saint-Cyriac was given to the parish into 1889 much more in the honor of the saint that in the honor of Cyriac Buckell.

Of Caskouia Mission in Canton Kénogami

When the Kénogami way was put in building site, some families of settlers settled along her course. In 1858, several meat offals were made announcing the arrival of colonists but around 1862, one counted only five families installed in a permanent way. February 4th, 1865, the government proclaimed the election of the Kénogami canton. That made it possible to legalize colonization. It was the kickoff of the Caskouia Mission. The presbytery was built only in 1872.

The Large Fire of 1870 did not save this community. Several lost their goods. Large Fire had the extreme advantage of accelerating grubbing and of giving a second breath to colonization.

In 1884, the second vault was built and bénite on May 2nd, 1886 (Figure 4). July 27th, 1887, the government of Quebec ordered the creation of the school municipality of Saint-Cyriac. To spring 1894, one proceeds to the construction of the presbytery and the enlarging of the cemetery.

November 15th, 1897, the government of Quebec carries out the erection of the municipality of Canton of Kénogami. This new municipality included all the Kénogami canton and part of the Jonquière Canton, i.e. all rows 8,9 north and south of the Jonquière Canton.

Transport

The Kénogami way was the first way suitable for motor vehicles which started from Chicoutimi to extend to the lake Midsummer's Day. Work of land surveying was carried out in 1851. The construction of the way was done of 1854 to 1862. When the Kénogami way was supplemented, the municipality of Saint-Cyriac became the turntable and the locality plug between Saguenay and the lake Midsummer's Day. But with the startup of the Chambord/Chicoutimi section of the railroad, one witnesses a slip of the communications towards Saguenay having consequences for the settlement of the sector.

Economy

The small parish depended on the agriculture and the exploration of the forest. In 1893, a cheese dairy was open. The exploitation of the forest brought a supplement of incomes for people of the parish. The first to obtain rights of cut to the lake Kénogami was Peter Mcleod. It attacks the forest during the winter 1851-1852. Price collects the rights of cut in the sector after the death of Mcleod. In 1890, the building sites in forests would have begun on the rivers Pikauba and Cascouia. The years 1897-1898, the Company of Pulp of Chicoutimi gave big contracts of cut on the territory of the lake Kénogami.

Tourism

The lake Kénogami was a site very snuffed for fishing. To protect the resource, of the fishing rights were granted by the government for periods of times given.

With the arrival of the railroad, the lake Kénogami was a tourist destination appraisal as well as the lake Midsummer's Day. To benefit from this basket, the owners of the Castle Saguenay de Chicoutimi built with the country cottage with the point with Sand with all the conveniences necessary for pleasant stays. A guide of fishing was available on the spot. The tourist customers were especially American. In 1901, a steamer, the Maria-Nina, was going to make excursions on the lake Kénogami.

the disappearance of Saint-Cyriac (1900-1925)

the first stoppings

Then, the epopee came from the raising of water of the lake Kénogami for the industrial needs. The Companies of Pulp of Chicoutimi and Jonquière wanted to increase their sources of supply in energy. It is with approximately of 1900 that control partial of the flow of the lake started. This control was ensured by two stoppings: one in Pibrac and the other in Portages Of the Rocks. Water was stored on a height of nine feet. A few months later, the Company of Pulp of Jonquière sold its rights to that of Chicoutimi. December 7th, 1901, the Price Company bought the Company of Pulp of Jonquière. In 1904, a conflict burst between the Price Company and that of Chicoutimi concerning the energy supply.

The Price Company gained its cause in front of the courts. June 2nd, 1904, the provincial government adopts a law allowing the raising of the lake Kénogami. With the beginning of the year 1905, to conform to the law, the Company of Pulp of Chicoutimi, built new higher and more powerful locks to replace the first. They will be set up respectively in Portage Of the Rocks and the other with Notch-Tight in Pibrac.

Saint-Cyriac during this period

During this time, Saint-Cyriac resembles a village more and more. One builds a new church and its construction was finished in 1905 (Figure 4). Economic side, one notices that the proportion of farmers passed from 97% in 1893 to 66% in 1905. The forestry development and the construction of the first stoppings are the leading causes. The phenomenon of the " déruralisation" will grow during the years.

the final chapter of Saint-Cyriac

He starts with the dispute of the Company of Pulp of Jonquière which shows that of Chicoutimi not to respect the contract for the contribution of water. This different this rule in justice. The Company of Pulp of Chicoutimi must arrange the locks and pay a sum of 500$ of compensation. With the arrival of a new mill with Kénogami, a solution should be considered. Then, the C.E.C. (Commission of Running water of Quebec) had to study a new request aiming at raising the lake Kénogami on a level of 115. In January 1916, Dubuc requires of the government to vote a bill authorizing the Company of Pulp of Chicoutimi to increase the Kénogami tank. The bill will not pass the second reading. In fact the C.E.C will have the responsibility and all the authority necessary in the project on February 9th, 1918. There are tripartite negotiations. In fact the C.E.C will have the responsibility for work. The signature of the contract takes place on December 22nd, 1922 and work started in the month of March 1923. According to the rumors, the flood was to touch a weak part of the grounds. Alfred Dubuc committed itself relocating with his expenses those which would be touched by the rise of water.

The municipal council negotiated with Alfred Dubuc but in front of the poor results of the negotiations, he wanted to take recourse to prevent work. Thinking of gaining, one pushed even the audacity to build a school, to repair the presbytery and to borrow for construction from a network of aqueduct. It is after the official signature of the agreement that the population accepted this slap in full face: Saint-Cyriac was going to disappear.

To make pass the lake on level 115, two stoppings should have been built (Bearing Of the Rocks, Pibrac) and several dams of reserve (Moncouche Bay), Deschênes, Coulée Gagnon, Coulée Caskouia). Moreover, it was necessary to relocate the way Kénogami, the telephone lines and exproprier of the grounds in the cantons of Jonquière and Kénogami. In spring 1924, the raising of the lake to dimension 102 involves floods making impracticable the way Kénogami and the grounds located outside the limits become uncultivated. One had to rebuild a new railroad and a new line of telephone along the railway line. The lake reached its maximum dimension in spring of 1925.

This disappearance supported the industrial development of the towns of Jonquière, Kénogami and Chicoutimi. The Company of Pulp of Chicoutimi and that of Valley-Jalbert closed shop and fûrent bought by Quebec Pulp. Quebec Pulp, incompetent to pay to the C.E.C the million and half which it owed for the installation of the lake, also went bankrupt.

New vocation

the years 1940 to 1973

New departure for the territory of the lake Kénogami. As from 1940, the holiday makers take assault the lake Kénogami. In 1948, the owners of the church were been willing to yield the documents of title to the episcopal Corporation. In 1965, the government seized all the properties and limits Quebec Pulp to treat to royalties which the latter could not assume since of the years.

In 1967, the Chamber of commerce of Jonquière launched a vast plan of tourist installation and recreation of the lake Kénogami. This park would have had activities four seasons.

In 1972, the ministry for the Natural wealths thought of building a stopping of seventy feet top on the lake Of the Barks to regularize the level of water of the lake Kénogami. This project will be found on the shelves.

the installation of the Park Kénogami

The advertisement of the establishment of the Kénogami Park was made on December 12th, 1973. Over one five years period, a sum of four million would be invested to set up the first network of entertaining park (Valin Mount, of Lake-Kénogami, Point-Taillon). In 1977, estimated the completed costs, once work, was of five million. The zone outdoor extends on a surface from 125 square miles and its limits touch with Road 54, with the park of Laurentides, counted census of Chicoutimi and Lake-Saint-Jean.

The zone of intensive recreation as for it would have a surface of 115 bitter and cover the site called the Sand Island. The activities of leisures would be on three plans:

- activities of outdoor;

- motorized activities;

- nautical activities.

It was at summer 1976 that the tourists and the regional population could benefit from the installations of the Kénogami Park.

In February 1990, one announced a project of revival from 8 to 10 million for the camp-site of the Kénogami Park now managed by the SEPAQ. This project included/understood the sale of grounds of holiday, the construction of an inn and the development of a golf of eighteen holes. Thirty grounds were sold in a first phase. In April 1990, thirty-four other grounds on sale were put.

the creation of the municipality of Lake-Kénogami

It is following the step taken by the committee of the citizens near the deputy of Jonquière, Mrs. Aline Saint-Armand, and of the ministry for the municipal Businesses in December 1984 that bill 247 on the municipality of Kénogami Canton was discussed with the National Assembly. The purpose of the four articles of bill 247 were to give in operation a nonoperative charter since 1924 following the raising of the lake Kénogami. It was the council of county then, the M.R.C of the Fjord which assumed the management of the businesses and the prefect of county ensured the representation of people of the sector.

The ultimate objective was to the citizens to elect a mayor and city council men who will deal with the municipal businesses of the Kénogami Canton. The bill was adopted on December 4th, 1984 and the adoption of principle of the known as project was on December 20th, 1984.

The first election was issued by the Minister for the municipal Businesses Mr. Alain Marcoux for on March 3rd, 1985. The elected officials of the M.R.C had adopted the resolutions meaning the transfer of the powers of the organization towards the new team.

Geography

The district Lake-Kénogami covers a surface of 145,76 km ². The total population of the district to the census of 2001 was of 1834 inhabitants. The density of the population was of 12,6 inhabitants to the square kilometer in 2001.

In 2001, the district counted 1011 private residences. The age édian of the population of the district was 45,3 years in 2001, with 12,8% of the elderly population of less than 15 years.

Hydrography

Section to be filled later on.

Municipal fusion

The municipality was attached to Saguenay (city) during the municipal fusion of February 18th 2002.

The representative at the municipal council of Town of Saguenay elected at present for the district of Lake-Kénogami (#1) is Mr. Paul-Roger Cantin.

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