Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
The arrival of Acadians in this region began with efforts to colonize new territories. In 1838, the first permanent settlement in Saguenay was developed by the Société des Vingt-et-Un, of which Pierre Boudreault, an Acadian, was a member.
In 1849, a group of Acadian pioneers left Kamouraska under the leadership of their priest, Father Nicolas-Tolentin Hébert, on their first expedition. Finally, in 1851, a group of settlers settled and founded Hébertville, the birthplace of Lac-Saint-Jean. They built two mills that were absolutely necessary for the colony's survival: a sawmill to prepare wood and build houses, and a flour mill. A small chapel was also built that same year.
At the beginning of the 20th century, other Acadians from the Magdalen Islands, the Gaspé Peninsula, and the North Shore, attracted by the development of the paper industry and the start-up of aluminum smelters, came to settle in large numbers in Saguenay, particularly in Jonquière. In 1927, 223 Acadian families were counted in Kénogami (Jonquière), totaling approximately 5,600 people, or 16% of the total population. By 1955, there were more than 12,000 Acadians in the region.
The descendants of these pioneers are still numerous there. We find Bergeron, Boudreau, Bourgeois, Cormier, Chiasson, Hébert, Lapierre, Leblanc, Richard, Turbide and Vigneault.
Please click on a name in the list below to go directly to its designated section.
Saguenay
Monument to the Twenty-One
Place of interest
3249 South Grand Bay Boulevard
In 1924, citizens decided to commemorate the arrival and work of the pioneers of the Société des Vingt-et-Un by creating a monument. Architect Armand Gravel drew up the plans, and Brussels marble masons and sculptors Anselme Delwaide and Rodolphe Goffin, who had their workshop in Chicoutimi, created the work. Hundreds of people attended the inauguration.
Around 1929, the statue of the sower, created by the Carli-Petrucci company, was added. This sower represents Alexis Simard, who defied the Hudson's Bay Company's ban on farming. Every year on June 11, a ceremony is held at the foot of the monument.
Text written or compiled by the Acadian Museum of Quebec.
Acadian community of Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean
Institution
1975 Ozanne Street
In 1994, a group of Acadians eager to create an association met for the first time in Kénogami and founded the Regroupement acadien du Saguenay/Lac St-Jean. Its goal is to bring together people of Acadian descent to socialize on a cultural and social level and increase their sense of belonging through activities such as breakfast conferences, exhibitions, concerts, social evenings, and the Acadian celebration on August 15.
The organization uses various locations to hold its activities. In 1996, it acquired a building from the Jonquière School Board. The building became the site for interpreting Acadian life in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean. This location has seven multipurpose rooms, office space, a library, and a cultural activity room. The basement can accommodate up to 300 people.
Text written or compiled by the Acadian Museum of Quebec.
Society of Twenty-One
Notable people
On June 11, 1838, the Société des Vingt-et-Un arrived in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean. This was a group of businessmen from La Malbaie who had joined forces to exploit the forest resources in this region.
To mark the arrival of these pioneers who ensured the colonization and development of this new region, the Government of Quebec designated this arrival as a historic event under the Cultural Heritage Act. A formal ceremony will be held on June 11, 2013, at the foot of the monument. The designation as a historic event formalizes this part of regional history.
Text written or compiled by the Acadian Museum of Quebec.
Héberville
Calixte Hébert
Personality
Calixte Hébert was born in Saint-Grégoire de Nicolet (Bécancour). Brother of Nicolas-Tolentin, he arrived in Hébertville in 1852. He became the administrator of the assets of the Association des comtés de L’Islet et de Kamouraska (ACIK). He was responsible for the warehouse containing the products and tools that the association sent to Lac-Saint-Jean so that the pioneers could clear and cultivate the land, feed themselves, and build shelters.
Shopping, mail, financial reports, government interventions, conflict resolution—everything went through Hébert. He became sexton of the chapel built in 1851. The first mayor of the municipality from 1860 to 1875, he was appointed registrar for the entire Lac-Saint-Jean region when the first registry office opened in 1873.
Married three times and father of 19 children, he died after 45 years of living in this new region. He is buried in the Hébertville cemetery.
Text written or compiled by the Acadian Museum of Quebec
Calixte Hébert House
Place of interest
671 La Barre Street
The Calixte Hébert House is part of the "Le berceau" heritage trail, which allows visitors to discover Hébertville through interpretive panels and audio guides. One panel is dedicated to this important figure in the region's history.
Text written or compiled by the Acadian Museum of Quebec.
Hébert Monument
Place of interest
Across from the rectory
251 Turgeon Street
In 1926, a committee of local citizens and priests decided to pay tribute to Nicolas-Tolentin Hébert and his companions by erecting a monument in their honor. It has been moved several times and now stands in the center of the park that bears his name.
Text written or compiled by the Acadian Museum of Quebec
Nicolas-Tolentin Hébert (1810–1888)
Personality
Nicolas-Tolentin Hébert, Catholic priest and colonizer, was born in Saint-Grégoire de Nicolet (Bécancour). Ordained a priest at the age of 23, Father Hébert became vicar at Quebec City Cathedral. He obtained his first parish in Saint-Pascal de Kamouraska in 1840 and led this parish for 12 years. It was from there that he and his colleagues at the Collège de La Pocatière helped found an association, of which he became the driving force and principal agent, to develop the townships that the government had granted him in Lac-Saint-Jean.
Thanks to the perseverance and tenacity of Nicolas-Tolentin Hébert, who proved to be a shrewd businessman, the townships granted to him developed into very fertile lands. Thus, in 1857, the pioneers decided to name the new colony Hébertville in honor of its founder.
Father Hébert died at the age of 78 in his new parish, Saint-Louis-de-Kamouraska, and was buried in a vault beneath the church.
Text written or compiled by the Acadian Museum of Quebec
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