Oskelaneo, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Oskélanéo is a community in northern Quebec
, Canada
, within the boundaries of the City of La Tuque
. It is located along the Canadian National Railway
between Clova
and Parent
, on the shores of Lake Oskélanéo. The community is named after the eponymous lake and stream, meaning "bones" in the Algonquin language
.
The little hamlet is home to a few hunting and fishing outfitter
s. The Via Rail
train to the Abitibi will stop at the Oskelaneo River Station on request.
was built through the area in 1910. It was also known as Oskelaneo River after its railway station designation. It became a supply depot for and access point to the Rupert River
, Lake Mistassini
, and other areas of northern Quebec. The canoe brigades
of the Hudson's Bay Company
travelled through Oskelaneo to supply trading posts at Obiduan
, Chibougamau
, and Mistissini
. Furthermore, the community was also used by prospectors
, local Atikamekw
Amerindians, and even some recreational canoeists as an access point to the north, making the Oskelaneo canoe route so popular that it prompted the construction of manually-operated locks
on the Oskelaneo River between the rail station and Bureau Lake (now flooded by Gouin Reservoir
).
Oskelaneo also became a forestry centre and in 1917, a sawmill was built. In 1921, a post office opened. It gained further prominence that same year when the forest fire protection service started using Oskelaneo as a base, and in 1924, when an airbase was established for aerial surveying and transport. In 1926, the HBC opened a post in the community.
By the beginning of World War II, Oskelaneo went into decline. The sawmill was demolished and the airbase was no longer used. Circa 1948, the road to Chibougamau was completed, which rendered the canoe route through Oskelaneo immediately obsolete. The last canoe brigade to Mistissini ran in 1948. The community retained some use as an access point to the Gouin Reservoir, but lost this purpose too once logging roads reached the area. In 1956, Oskelaneo still counted 29 families and a total of 119 persons, mostly forestry workers. In 1962, the HBC closed its general store and in 1973, the post office closed as well.
Until March 2003, Oskelaneo was within the Obedjiwan Unorganized Territory, and thereafter became part of the new City of La Tuque when the Haut-Saint-Maurice Regional County
was dissolved.
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...
, within the boundaries of the City of La Tuque
La Tuque, Quebec
La Tuque is a city in south central Quebec, Canada, on the Saint-Maurice River, between Trois-Rivières and Chambord. In 2006, it had a population of 11,821 Latuquois....
. It is located along the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
between Clova
Clova, Quebec
Clova is a hamlet within the city of La Tuque, Quebec, Canada, in the Mauricie region.It is also the name of a post office in Clova, a dam and a power plant...
and Parent
Parent, Quebec
Parent is a community in northern Quebec, Canada, located within the City of La Tuque and about north-west of La Tuque's town centre. In 2006, it had a population of 251, and in 2001, it had 295....
, on the shores of Lake Oskélanéo. The community is named after the eponymous lake and stream, meaning "bones" in the Algonquin language
Algonquin language
Algonquin is either a distinct Algonquian language closely related to the Ojibwe language or a particularly divergent Ojibwe dialect. It is spoken, alongside French and to some extent English, by the Algonquin First Nations of Quebec and Ontario...
.
The little hamlet is home to a few hunting and fishing outfitter
Outfitter
An outfitter is a shop or person that sells men's clothes . More specifically, it is a company or individual who provides or deals in equipment and supplies for the pursuit of certain activities. The term is most closely associated with outdoor activities such as rafting, hunting, fishing,...
s. The Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
train to the Abitibi will stop at the Oskelaneo River Station on request.
History
Oskelaneo formed when the National Transcontinental RailwayNational Transcontinental Railway
The National Transcontinental Railway was a historic Canadian railway between Winnipeg and Moncton. Much of the line is now operated by the Canadian National Railway.-The Grand Trunk partnership:...
was built through the area in 1910. It was also known as Oskelaneo River after its railway station designation. It became a supply depot for and access point to the Rupert River
Rupert River
The Rupert River is one of the largest rivers in Quebec, Canada. From its headwaters in Lake Mistassini, the largest natural lake in Québec, it flows west into Rupert Bay on James Bay. The Rupert drains an area of . There is some extremely large whitewater on the river, but paddlers can avoid...
, Lake Mistassini
Lake Mistassini
Lake Mistassini is the largest natural lake by surface area in the province of Quebec, Canada, with a total surface area of approximately 2,335 km² and a net area of 2,164 km². It is located in the Jamésie region of the province, approximately east of James Bay...
, and other areas of northern Quebec. The canoe brigades
Fur brigade
The Fur brigade were convoys of Canadian Indian fur trappers who traveled between their home trading posts and a larger HBC post in order to supply the inland post with goods and supply the HBC post with furs. Travel was usually done on the rivers by canoe or, in certain prairie situations, by horse...
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...
travelled through Oskelaneo to supply trading posts at Obiduan
Obedjiwan, Quebec
Obedjiwan is a First Nation reserve and village on the north shore of Gouin Reservoir in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada. It belongs to the Atikamekw d'Opitciwan band of the Atikamekw Nation....
, Chibougamau
Chibougamau, Quebec
Chibougamau is a town in central Quebec, Canada, located on Lake Gilman. It has a population of 7,563 people , which makes it the largest community in northern Quebec...
, and Mistissini
Mistissini, Quebec
Mistissini is a Cree town located in the south-east corner of the largest natural lake in Quebec, Lake Mistassini . The town is inside the boundaries of the Baie-James Municipality, and is the largest Cree community with a population of around 4000 people...
. Furthermore, the community was also used by prospectors
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
, local Atikamekw
Atikamekw
The Atikamekw are the indigenous inhabitants of the area they refer to as Nitaskinan , in the upper Saint-Maurice River valley of Quebec , Canada. Their population currently stands at around 4500. One of the main communities is Manawan, about northeast of Montreal. They have a tradition of...
Amerindians, and even some recreational canoeists as an access point to the north, making the Oskelaneo canoe route so popular that it prompted the construction of manually-operated locks
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
on the Oskelaneo River between the rail station and Bureau Lake (now flooded by Gouin Reservoir
Gouin Reservoir
The Gouin Reservoir is a man-made lake in the central portion of the Canadian province of Quebec, fully within the boundaries of the City of La Tuque. It is not one contiguous body of water, but the collective name for a series of connected lakes separated by innumerable bays, peninsulas, and...
).
Oskelaneo also became a forestry centre and in 1917, a sawmill was built. In 1921, a post office opened. It gained further prominence that same year when the forest fire protection service started using Oskelaneo as a base, and in 1924, when an airbase was established for aerial surveying and transport. In 1926, the HBC opened a post in the community.
By the beginning of World War II, Oskelaneo went into decline. The sawmill was demolished and the airbase was no longer used. Circa 1948, the road to Chibougamau was completed, which rendered the canoe route through Oskelaneo immediately obsolete. The last canoe brigade to Mistissini ran in 1948. The community retained some use as an access point to the Gouin Reservoir, but lost this purpose too once logging roads reached the area. In 1956, Oskelaneo still counted 29 families and a total of 119 persons, mostly forestry workers. In 1962, the HBC closed its general store and in 1973, the post office closed as well.
Until March 2003, Oskelaneo was within the Obedjiwan Unorganized Territory, and thereafter became part of the new City of La Tuque when the Haut-Saint-Maurice Regional County
Haut-Saint-Maurice Regional County Municipality, Quebec
The Haut-Saint-Maurice Regional County Municipality is a former regional county municipality in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada. It was formed on January 1, 1982, and dissolved on March 26, 2003, when it was amalgamated in its entirety into the new City of La Tuque...
was dissolved.