Johan Beetz (August 19, 1874 – March 26, 1949) was a Canadian naturalist of Belgian origin. He settled in a small coastal town in the

Côte-Nord Côte-Nord (, ; ; land area ) is the second-largest administrative region by land area in Quebec, Canada, after Nord-du-Québec. It covers much of the northern shore of the Saint Lawrence River estuary and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence past Tadous ...

region of

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 ...

, which was later renamed Baie-Johan-Beetz in his honour, along with the nearby bay, known as the ''baie Johan-Beetz''. He was born in

Boortmeerbeek Boortmeerbeek () is a town in the Belgium, Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Boortmeerbeek proper, Schiplaken and Hever, Belgium, Hever. The total area is 18.64 km² which gives a population density ...

, Belgium, in the château d'Oudenhouven, to an aristocratic family. His father Johannes Beetz died when he was two years old and his mother Céline Verzyl (or Versyl) remarried an English

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

named Walter Turner. He had a privileged childhood and the future King Albert was among his childhood acquaintances. In his youth, he participated in hunting in Morocco, Algeria and Congo, and took part in archeological digs. He studied medicine and biology. However, his fiancée (and cousin) Marthe Versyl died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. Apparently seeking a change in his life, he considered moving from Belgium to Africa, but then he happened to converse with a certain Monsieur Warner, who talked about the hunting and fishing in Pashti-Baie (or Piastrebaie) along the north shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in Quebec, Canada, where Warner had a house. Beetz bought Warner's house on the spot and moved there in May 1897. Within this year, Beetz meet Henry de Puyjalon, a pioneer in Canadian ecology who was among the first to suggest wildlife conservation areas. Beetz married a local girl named Adéla Tanguay on September 27, 1898, and constructed a very large house, today known as the Maison Johan-Beetz and classified as a historic monument by the Quebec government. The imposing 12-room wooden house was built on a rocky prominence looking over the

Piashti River The Piashti River (french: Rivière Piashti) is a salmon river in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec, Canada. It empties into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Location The Piashti River flows in a north-south direction for from Lake Pia ...

. They eventually had 11 children. Beetz hunted, fished, and trapped with the local villagers, and raised foxes for their fur. He was a naturalist and ornithologist, and made numerous studies and hand drawings. He also invented a mummification process for preserving animal bodies; however, the technique was lost when he died. From 1903 to 1913 he was the local postmaster, and he often served as a sort of doctor. He was credited with sparing the village from the Spanish influenza in 1918–1919 by restricting external contact and disinfecting mail. In 1922 the Beetz family moved to Saint-Laurent, then a suburb of

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 today a borough of the city. He bought a house there at 54 rue Saint-Germain. In July 1924, he was made a ''chevalier'' in the Order of Leopold II by the Belgian government. He later lived at 322 avenue Laurier, in Quebec City, which has a plaque mentioning that fact. In 1931 he founded a zoo in Charlesbourg (today part of

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

), later known by the name ''Jardin zoologique de Québec'' (it closed in 2006). He continued to raise foxes at a farm in Vaudreuil. When the business was badly affected by the

1929 stock market crash The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...

, he was named director of the fox furring department at the ''Service de l'élevage des animaux à fourrure'' of the Quebec government. He wrote a book on the subject entitled ''"L'Indispensable" à l'éleveur de renards argentés''; it was published in English translation as ''"The Indispensable" for Fox Breeders'', translated by Thos. J. Carbray. The

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...

wished to give him an honorary doctorate; however, he preferred to deliver an oral thesis presentation, for which he was granted a

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

degree (''Docteur ès Science agricole (vulpiculture)''). The fox breeding industry in Quebec did not survive long after the death of its founder, however. In 1965, the village where he spent many years of his life was renamed Baie-Johan-Beetz. There are streets named after him in both Baie-Johan-Beetz and Sept-Îles. There is also a lake, Lac Beetz, in the Lac-Jérôme

unorganized territory Unorganized territory may refer to: * An unincorporated area in any number of countries * One of the current or former territories of the United States that has not had a government "organized" with an "organic act" by the U.S. Congress * Unorganize ...

, which may be named for him, although 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 ...

does not attest this. Johan Beetz was the grandfather of Jean Beetz, a justice of the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...

References

External links

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Johan Beetz: Naturaliste
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beetz, Johan People from Montreal Canadian naturalists Knights of the Order of Leopold II 1874 births 1949 deaths Belgian emigrants to Canada People from Côte-Nord