Grasset Lake is a freshwater body of the southern part of
Eeyou Istchee James Bay (municipality), in the administrative region of
Nord-du-Québec, in the
province of
Quebec, in
Canada. This lake covers almost the entire canton of Grasset in addition to extending westward in the canton of Subercase.
Forestry is the main economic activity of the sector. Recreational tourism activities come second.
This hydrographic slope has no access forest road. The surface of Grasset Lake is usually frozen from early November to mid-May, however safe ice movement is generally from mid-November to mid-April.
Geography
Covering , this lake in the form of an olive has a length of , a maximum width of and an altitude of . Grasset Lake is mainly fed by the
Subercase River (coming from the Southwest). It is the largest body of water supplying the
Kitchigama River
The Kitchigama River is a river in the Eeyou Istchee Baie-James, in the administrative region of Nord-du-Québec, in Quebec, in Canada. It is a tributary of the Nottaway River.
This hydrographic slope has no access forest road. The surface of the ...
.
The mouth of Lac Grasset is located on the North shore at:
* West of
Matagami Lake;
* Northwest of downtown
Matagami;
* East of the
Quebec -
Ontario border;
* Southeast of the mouth of the
Kitchigama River
The Kitchigama River is a river in the Eeyou Istchee Baie-James, in the administrative region of Nord-du-Québec, in Quebec, in Canada. It is a tributary of the Nottaway River.
This hydrographic slope has no access forest road. The surface of the ...
(confluence with the
Nottaway River.
The main hydrographic slopes near Grasset Lake are:
*North side:
Kitchigama River
The Kitchigama River is a river in the Eeyou Istchee Baie-James, in the administrative region of Nord-du-Québec, in Quebec, in Canada. It is a tributary of the Nottaway River.
This hydrographic slope has no access forest road. The surface of the ...
, Paul-Sauvé Lake;
*East side:
Matagami Lake,
Nottaway River,
Bell River;
*South side:
Subercase River,
Bell River,
Harricana River,
Samson River
The Samson River (''in French: rivière Samson'') is a tributary of the east bank of the Chaudière River, which flows northward to empty on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River, in Quebec, in Canada.
Toponymy
The river was named "Toulidesi ...
;
*West side:
Samson River
The Samson River (''in French: rivière Samson'') is a tributary of the east bank of the Chaudière River, which flows northward to empty on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River, in Quebec, in Canada.
Toponymy
The river was named "Toulidesi ...
,
Harricana River.
Toponymy
The Algonquins designate this body of water "Apicigamijici", meaning "round lake without islands"; which reflects the characteristics of the lake.
This toponym evokes the work of life of
André Grasset Blessed André Grasset de Saint-Sauveur (3 April 1758 – 2 September 1792), usually known simply as André Grasset, was a Canadian-born French Catholic priest who was martyred for his faith in Paris during the French Revolution. In 1926 he became t ...
(
Montreal, 1758 -
Paris, 1792). From the age of six, in 1764, he accompanied his father to
Calais
Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...
,
France. At the end of his classical studies at Collège Sainte-Barbe, a Parisian school founded in 1460, André Grasset turned to the priesthood. Sulpician, he was ordained a priest at Sens, in 1783.
At the time of graduation, the country is experiencing an economic and social crisis that leaves the monarchy in the greatest indifference. Slowly, but surely, the people of France are marching towards a crucial period in their history, the "French Revolution", which began in 1789.
Busy in this societal transformation, members of the clergy must subscribe to the civil constitution by which the clergy whose bishops and priests no longer receive the investiture of the pope; they become public servants. During a trial, in the face of what appears to him as a renunciation of his most fundamental beliefs,
André Grasset Blessed André Grasset de Saint-Sauveur (3 April 1758 – 2 September 1792), usually known simply as André Grasset, was a Canadian-born French Catholic priest who was martyred for his faith in Paris during the French Revolution. In 1926 he became t ...
refuses to take this oath. He will be assassinated, as will all the priests and bishops imprisoned in the former Carmelite monastery in
Paris in 1792.
The
French Revolution, one of the darkest periods of which began under the reign of terror, made its first martyr in
Quebec. More than a century after his death,
André Grasset Blessed André Grasset de Saint-Sauveur (3 April 1758 – 2 September 1792), usually known simply as André Grasset, was a Canadian-born French Catholic priest who was martyred for his faith in Paris during the French Revolution. In 1926 he became t ...
was beatified. He became the first Canadian born on the altars on October 17, 1926.
The name "Lac Grasset" was officialized on December 5, 1968 by the
Commission de toponymie du Québec
The Commission de toponymie du Québec (English: ''Toponymy Commission of Québec'') is the Government of Québec's public body responsible for cataloging, preserving, making official and publicize Québec's place names and their origins according ...
when it was created.
Commission de toponymie du Québec - List of place names - Toponym: "Lake Grasset"
/ref>
Notes and references
See also
{{GeoGroup
* James Bay
* Rupert Bay
* Nottaway River, a watercourse
*Kitchigama River
The Kitchigama River is a river in the Eeyou Istchee Baie-James, in the administrative region of Nord-du-Québec, in Quebec, in Canada. It is a tributary of the Nottaway River.
This hydrographic slope has no access forest road. The surface of the ...
, a watercourse
* Subercase River, a course
Lakes of Nord-du-Québec