Causapscal () is a city in the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, located in

La Matapédia Regional County Municipality La Matapédia is a regional county municipality (RCM) in eastern Quebec, Canada at the base of the Gaspé peninsula, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region. Its seat is in Amqui. It is named after the Matapédia River which runs through the western par ...

. It is located at the confluence of the Matapédia and

Causapscal River The Causapscal River () is a waterway of located in the Matapedia Valley, in La Matapédia Regional County Municipality, in administrative regions of Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, in Quebec, Canada. It is a tributary to t ...

s, along

Quebec Route 132 Route 132 is the longest highway in Quebec. It follows the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River from the border with the state of New York in the hamlet of Dundee (connecting with New York State Route 37 (NY 37) via NY 970T, ...

, approximately halfway between

Mont-Joli Mont-Joli () is a city in the La Mitis Regional County Municipality within the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec, Canada. It is the county seat. The city is located east of Rimouski near the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River. History In ...

and

Campbellton, New Brunswick Campbellton is a city in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada. Situated on the south bank of the Restigouche River opposite Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec, Campbellton was officially incorporated in 1889 and achieved city status in 1958. Fores ...

. It is served by the

Causapscal railway station Causapscal station is a Via Rail station in Causapscal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 142 Rue St-Jacques Sud near the end of Rue Cartier, and is a flag stop with no ticket sales. Causapscal is served by Via Rail's ''Ocean''; the Montreal – G ...

(the town can be reached by

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...

on the named train The Ocean, between

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and Halifax) and the

Causapscal Airport Causapscal Airport is located south southwest of Causapscal, Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) ...

Etymology

The city's name is taken from the geographic township of Casupscull (proclaimed in 1864), which in turn is derived from the

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the northe ...

word ''Goesôpsiag'' (or ''Gesapsgel, Gesôpsgigel''), meaning "stony bottom", "swift water", or "rocky point", likely referring to the rocky river bed of the Causapscal River.

History

Development of the place followed the construction of the

Intercolonial Railway The Intercolonial Railway of Canada , also referred to as the Intercolonial Railway (ICR), was a historic Canadian railway that operated from 1872 to 1918, when it became part of Canadian National Railways. As the railway was also completely ow ...

in the 1860s. In 1870, the Parish of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur was established, and the following year, the post office opened. In 1897, the Parish Municipality of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur-de-Causapscal was incorporated, named after the parish and the geographic township. In 1928, the village itself separated from the parish municipality and was incorporated as the Village Municipality of Causapscal. In 1957, the parish municipality lost more territory when the Municipality of Sainte-Marguerite was formed. In 1965, Causapscal gained ''ville'' (city/town) status. On December 31, 1997, the Parish Municipality of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur-de-Causapscal was amalgamated into the City of Causapscal.

Geography

Causapscal is located in the

Matapédia Valley The Matapedia Valley (French: ''vallée de la Matapédia'') was formed by the Chic-Choc Mountains of eastern Québec. Its name is derived from the river that traverses the valley, as well as the lake that lies in its center. It is situated in ...

at the confluence of the Matapédia and

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Causapscal had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Canada Census data before 2001 (pre-merger): * Combined population in 1996: 2,811 (-2.0% from 1991) ** Causapscal (ville): 2,080 (-3.7% from 1991) ** Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur-de-Causapscal (parish): 731 (+3.4% from 1991) * Combined population in 1991: 2,867 ** Causapscal (ville): 2160 ** Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur-de-Causapscal (parish): 707 PecheurSaumonRiviereMatapedia

Municipal council

* Mayor: Mario Côté * Councillors: Renaud Valois, Françoise Jean, Maurice Durette, Élaine Bellavance, Denis Viel, David Desjardins

Notable former residents

* Maurice "Mom" Boucher (born June 21, 1953) Canadian outlaw biker, former President of the Hells Angels' Montreal chapter.

References

External links

*
Ville de Causapscal

{{authority control Cities and towns in Quebec Incorporated places in Bas-Saint-Laurent La Matapédia Regional County Municipality