Shawinigan is a city of the Quebec (Canada) located at the center of the Mauricie, in a hook of the river Saint-Maurice (the bay of Shawinigan).

History

Before the creation of Shawinigan, there is a little more than one hundred years, the autochtones of the area called already this corner of country Achawenekane, Ochawenegane or Assawenegane. According to the historian Fabien La Rochelle, this name fact especially reference to a bearing. The current orthography would go back to 1816 and its author would be Francis Hall, a British officer who remained in the area.

The town of Shawinigan was built-in 1901. Already in 1898, of people of businesses had chosen this name to indicate their company, that is to say Shawinigan Water and Power Company.

The new town of Shawinigan was born on January 1st, 2002. It is resulting from the fusion of seven old municipalities: Shawinigan , Shawinigan-South, Grandmother, Saint-Georges-with-Champlain, Lake-with-the-Tortoise, Saint-Jean-of-Piles, Saint-Gerard-of-Laurentides the. Together, these sectors make of Shawinigan the 18th populeuse city in Quebec.

Cultural life

Since 1934, Shawinigan accommodates a big step of the international Classique of boats of Mauricie, one of the major sports events of the area. Several hundreds of people gather each year along the Berges of the Saint-Maurice to observe the progression of the Canotier S in competition. The Traditional one also comprises a category of rabaska amateur, boats having on board eleven people at the same time.

With that the birth of coffees agrees, of Restaurant S specialized and shops of fine products. As what Shawinigan reappears of its ashes under a new day, under the features of a place of culture under development fulgurating.

The national Festival of Quebec in old the Municipalité of Grand-Mère is celebrated by a Feu on an artificial small island in the middle of the Grand-Mère river. People gather in all the Parc to assist to with it.

Facts to underline

  • Shawinigan has the record to have had the most hydroelectic central on the same fall, that is to say 5. They are the power stations Shawinigan 1, Shawinigan 2, Shawinigan 3, Alcan 16 and Northern Aluminum Compagny (N.A.C.).

  • the Cité of energy of Shawinigan is a site museographic presenting various exposures and activities on the production of electricity and the industrial heritage of Shawinigan, makes it possible to explore a power station which is not any more in activity. One presents to it moreover exposures of work of art and a spectacle with Grand deployment in Plein-air, Kosmogonia. Official Web site: http://www.citedelenergie.com

  • the Goalkeeper high-speed motorboat of the Canadian of Montreal during the Sixties, Jacques Plants, is originating in Our-Lady-of-Mount-Carmel, close to Shawinigan. He was the first goalkeeper with the Hockey to dare to raise a protective Masque. It would be today unthinkable for a guard of the National league of hockey not to carry one of them.

  • the Québécois author Bryan Perro, originating in Shawinigan only sells the record number of 1.000.000 of specimens of its series Amos Daragon with the Quebec. The Québécois series, which is translated in 18 languages, ran out with more than 100.000 specimens to the Japan since 2005.

Personalities of Shawinigan and the surroundings

Educational establishments

  • Secondary:

    • secondary School of the Falls
    • Secondary School Of the secondary Rock
    • School Valley-Mauricie
    • secondary Institute Montfort
    • Seminar Sainte-Marie
    • Shawinigan High School
    • Center of education of the adults of the Primary saint-Maurice
  • :
    • the School Saint-Georges de Shawinigan
    • the School Saint-Andrew de Shawinigan
    • the School Saint-Charles Garnier de Shawinigan
    • the School Saint-Joseph de Shawinigan
    • the School Saint-Paul de Shawinigan
    • the School Saint-Saver of Shawinigan
    • the School Immaculate-Design of Shawinigan
    • the School Laflèche de Shawinigan
    • the School Antoine Hallé of Shawinigan

Catholic churches

  • Sector Shawinigan:

    • Assumption
    • Christ-King (closed with the worship)
    • Sacred Heart
    • Saint-Bernard (closed with the worship)
    • Saint-Charles-Garnier
    • Saint-Marc
    • Saint-Pierre
    • Holy-Cross (closed with the worship)
    • Grey waxbill (closed with the worship)

  • Sector Shawinigan-South:

    • Our-Lady-of-the-Presentation
    • Saint-Andrew
    • Saint-Saver
    • Holy-Jeanne-in Arc

  • Sector Grandmother:

    • Saint-Jean-Baptist
    • Saint-Paul
    • Holy-Flora

  • Sector St-Georges-with-Champlain:

    • Saint-Georges

  • Sector St-Gerard-of-Laurentides the:

    • Saint-Gerard

  • Sector St-Jean-of-Piles:

    • Midsummer's Day


Municipalities bordering

Sources

  • Repertory of the municipalities of Quebec
  • Commission of toponymy of Quebec
  • municipal Businesses and areas - regional charts

External bonds

  • Official site Shawinigan

  • History Mauricie
  • cultural Corporation of Shawinigan
  • industrial Towns of Quebec; Shawinigan
  • industrial Towns of Quebec; Grandmother
  • Company of history and genealogy of Shawinigan
  • Official site of the Festival of the Theater of Street

Photographs of Shawinigan

Random links:François Albert-Bush | Normalizes (mathematical) | Yves Jaouen | Gornje Leviće | Photo album

© 2007-2008 speedlook.com; article text available under the terms of GFDL, from fr.wikipedia.org