Les Escoumins, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Les Escoumins is a village on the shore of the Saint Lawrence River
in the Haute-Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec
, Canada.
Its economy is mostly based on the service sectors, especially education, health, and tourism. It is accessible via Route 138
; a ferry service runs between Les Escoumins and Trois-Pistoles
.
term eskumunaak, meaning "lookout place". In addition, other sources say that the place is named Essipit in Montagnais, meaning "river of shells".
Several spellings have been used over the centuries such as Uscamin, Les Escoumains, Essuie-Mains, L'Esquemin, Lesquemin, Leschemin (Champlain, 1629), L'Esquemain, and Lesquemain (1611 map of Champlain and other texts of 1626). The oldest reference to this name dates back to the map of Levasseur of 1601, that shows Escanimes; and to a contract of 1604 that included the rare spelling Esguenim.
and Mi'kmaq frequented the place, particularly in the spring to gather berries that covered the rocks and adorned the mossy plains.
The first Europeans in the area were the Basques
around the 1630s. In 1723, a cross was erected in honor of Our Dame of Bon-Desir, whereafter the place was also known as Bon-Desir. That same year the Mission of Saint-Marcellin was founded. But the first permanent European settler in Escoumins was Joseph Moreau, an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company
, who arrived in 1825. It wasn't until 1845 that a real village began to form when many families from the South Shore, especially from Trois-Pistoles
, Rivière-Ouelle
, Rimouski, and a group of Charlevoix
settled there.
In 1853, the local post office opened. The timber trade caused the village to grow rapidly when logs were floated down the Escoumins River from the cutting area to the Bay des Escoumins where they were loaded in barges. In 1863, the Municipality of Les Escoumains was formed. In the beginning of 1957, the spelling of the municipality's name was corrected to the current form.
, a montagnais community), the Poste de Pilotage des Laurentides (part of the St-Lawrence Seaway), and is an internationally known scuba diving site. An FM radio station, CHME
, is located within Essipit.
Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 865 (total dwellings: 1064)
Mother tongue:
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...
in the Haute-Côte-Nord region of the province 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.
Its economy is mostly based on the service sectors, especially education, health, and tourism. It is accessible via Route 138
Quebec route 138
Route 138 is a major highway in the Canadian province of Quebec, following the entire north shore of the Saint Lawrence River past Montreal to the eastern terminus in Natashquan on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The western terminus is in Elgin, at the border with New York State south-west of Montreal...
; a ferry service runs between Les Escoumins and Trois-Pistoles
Trois-Pistoles, Quebec
Trois-Pistoles is a town in and the seat of the Les Basques Regional County Municipality within the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec. It is also the county seat. The town is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River....
.
Etymology
Its name has traditionally been recognized to come from the Montagnais iskomin, meaning "where there are many seeds" or "there are fruits or seeds", in turn from the roots isko or ishko ("as far as this/that") and min (red seeds, or wild berries in general). According to more recent theory, it could also be a variation of the Mi'kmaqMi'kmaq language
The Mi'kmaq language is an Eastern Algonquian language spoken by nearly 9,100 Mi'kmaq in Canada and the United States out of a total ethnic Mi'kmaq population of roughly 20,000. The word Mi'kmaq is a plural word meaning 'my friends' ; the adjectival form is Míkmaw...
term eskumunaak, meaning "lookout place". In addition, other sources say that the place is named Essipit in Montagnais, meaning "river of shells".
Several spellings have been used over the centuries such as Uscamin, Les Escoumains, Essuie-Mains, L'Esquemin, Lesquemin, Leschemin (Champlain, 1629), L'Esquemain, and Lesquemain (1611 map of Champlain and other texts of 1626). The oldest reference to this name dates back to the map of Levasseur of 1601, that shows Escanimes; and to a contract of 1604 that included the rare spelling Esguenim.
History
The area is considered the cradle of the Côte-Nord Amerindian, who have lived there for thousands of years. The MontagnaisInnu
The Innu are the indigenous inhabitants of an area they refer to as Nitassinan , which comprises most of the northeastern portions of the provinces of Quebec and some western portions of Labrador...
and Mi'kmaq frequented the place, particularly in the spring to gather berries that covered the rocks and adorned the mossy plains.
The first Europeans in the area were the Basques
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
around the 1630s. In 1723, a cross was erected in honor of Our Dame of Bon-Desir, whereafter the place was also known as Bon-Desir. That same year the Mission of Saint-Marcellin was founded. But the first permanent European settler in Escoumins was Joseph Moreau, an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
, who arrived in 1825. It wasn't until 1845 that a real village began to form when many families from the South Shore, especially from Trois-Pistoles
Trois-Pistoles, Quebec
Trois-Pistoles is a town in and the seat of the Les Basques Regional County Municipality within the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec. It is also the county seat. The town is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River....
, Rivière-Ouelle
Rivière-Ouelle, Quebec
Rivière-Ouelle is a town located in the Kamouraska Regional County Municipality within the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec. It is located on the Saint Lawrence River; the Ouelle River flows through the town...
, Rimouski, and a group of 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...
settled there.
In 1853, the local post office opened. The timber trade caused the village to grow rapidly when logs were floated down the Escoumins River from the cutting area to the Bay des Escoumins where they were loaded in barges. In 1863, the Municipality of Les Escoumains was formed. In the beginning of 1957, the spelling of the municipality's name was corrected to the current form.
Institutions
The village is currently the largest of the so-called "Secteur BEST" (i.e. the municipalities of Bergeronnes, Escoumins, Sacre-Coeur, Tadoussac). It is home to an hospital (The Centre de santé de la Haute-Côte-Nord, previously known as Hôpital St-Alexandre), an Indian Reservation (EssipitEssipit, Quebec
Essipit is an Innu Indian reserve and community in the Canadian province of Quebec, located on the north shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in the Côte-Nord region. It belongs to the Innue Essipit First Nation....
, a montagnais community), the Poste de Pilotage des Laurentides (part of the St-Lawrence Seaway), and is an internationally known scuba diving site. An FM radio station, CHME
CHME-FM
CHME-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts at 94.9 FM in Les Escoumins, Quebec. Owned by Radio Essipit Haute-Côte-Nord, the station broadcasts a community radio format for an Innu audience....
, is located within Essipit.
Demographics
Population trend:- Population in 2006: 2073 (2001 to 2006 population change: -1.6 %)
- Population in 2001: 2106
- Population in 1996: 2136
- Population in 1991: 2212
Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 865 (total dwellings: 1064)
Mother tongue:
- English as first language: 0%
- French as first language: 99.5%
- English and French as first language: 0%
- Other as first language: 0.5%