Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau (May 11, 1848 – November 17, 1923) was a self-taught naturalist and Canadian government official. The city of
Baie-Comeau
Baie-Comeau () is a city in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, and is the seat of Manicouagan Regional County Municipality. It is near the mouth of the Manicouagan Ri ...
,
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, is named after him,
as well as this city's history museum building.
He was born in
Les Îlets-Jérémie (located in the municipality of
Colombier), not far from
Betsiamites on the North Shore of the
Saint Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...
. He was the eldest of eleven children.
His father, Antoine-Alexandre Comeau, was an employee of the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...
. His mother, Mary Luce Hall-Bedard, was of
Irish origin. Napoleon-Alexandre Comeau spent his childhood in the woods in
Labrador
Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...
, at
North-West River and the
Mingan Islands, along with the Innu and Inuit, who taught him to hunt, fish and navigate.
As a teenager, he spoke fluent French,
Montagnais,
Naskapi
The Naskapi (Nascapi, Naskapee, Nascapee) are an Indigenous people of the Subarctic native to the historical region St'aschinuw (ᒋᑦ ᐊᔅᒋᓄᐤ, meaning 'our Clusivity, nclusiveland'), which was located in present day northern Qu ...
and
Inuktitut
Inuktitut ( ; , Inuktitut syllabics, syllabics ), also known as Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, is one of the principal Inuit languages of Canada. It is spoken in all areas north of the North American tree line, including parts of the provinces of ...
.
In 1859 he was sent to an English school in
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières (, ; ) is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...
, where he learned to read, write and speak English.
Life and career
In 1860, Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau joined his father in
Trinity Bay. His father appointed him, at fourteen, "guardian of the
Godbout River". This, one of the 116 salmon rivers in Quebec, is a fishing area, and was then the private property of
William Agar Adamson. Comeau retained this position throughout his life. He completed his training through the library. With Ashini Montagnais hunters, he learns the hatch and deepens his knowledge of the fauna and flora.
He worked for 15 years as a
trapper. He married Marie Antoinette Labrie on June 14, 1871. In 1877 he was appointed postmaster at
Godbout
Godbout () is a village municipality in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the mouth of the Godbout River on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River.
Godbout is accessible via Quebec Route 138 and by ferry from Matane.
...
.
He became the assistant coroner (even practicing medicine, he attended the births of more than 250 newborns), before becoming, in 1879, Superintendent of Fisheries for the Canadian government.
In 1883, he became a telegraph operator in
Godbout
Godbout () is a village municipality in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the mouth of the Godbout River on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River.
Godbout is accessible via Quebec Route 138 and by ferry from Matane.
...
. In January 1886, following the rescue of his wife's brothers, Alfred and Francois Labrie on the
Saint Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...
, during which he traveled 60 km on the ice, he and his brother Isaiah were decorated by the Canadian government.
In 1888, his wife Antoinette died of cancer. Comeau, who had no children from his first marriage, remarried in 1889, marrying his wife's sister, Victoria Labrie, who gave him 12 children.
He was invited by Dr. Stevenson and Dr. Ahearn to stay at the
Jeffrey Hale Hospital in
Quebec City
Quebec City 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 Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
, to his knowledge.
Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau died on November 17, 1923, in Godbout, where a monument was dedicated to his memory in 1927, with the text: "Humble child of the North, he learned to read with authority in the great book of nature while serving his people and his country." There is a copy of this monument in
Charlesbourg. His house is called "Castle Comeau". In 1998,
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation (, trading as Canada Post (), is a Canadian Crown corporation that functions as the primary postal operator in Canada.
Originally known as Royal Mail Canada (the operating name of the Post Office Department of the Can ...
issued a stamp to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth.
[
]
Naturalist
From 1882, Napoleon-Alexandre Comeau developed a friendship with naturalists Elliott Coues
Elliott Ladd Coues (; September 9, 1842 – December 25, 1899) was an American army surgeon, historian, ornithologist, and author. He led surveys of the Arizona Territory, and later as secretary of the United States Geological and Geographi ...
and Hart Merriam
Hart often refers to:
* Hart (deer)
* Hart (surname)
Hart may also refer to:
Organizations
* Hart Racing Engines, a former Formula One engine manufacturer
* Hart Skis, US ski manufacturer
* Hart Stores, a Canadian chain of department store ...
, of the Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
. Comeau gave them a list of birds beyond North Shore, which was published in the Bulletin of the Madison Nutall Ornithology Club in 1882, and in the journal The Auk
''Ornithology'', formerly ''The Auk'' and ''The Auk: Ornithological Advances'', is a peer-reviewed scientific journal and the official publication of the American Ornithological Society (AOS). It was established in 1884 and is published quarterly ...
, in July 1884 and provided them with bird specimens. He also took many photographs, most of which have been lost.
That same year 1882, he became a member of the American Ornithological Union
The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its ...
in New York before going to hunt buffalo in Wyoming
Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
with Baron Ernest de la Grange
Ernest is a given name derived from the Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious", often shortened to Ernie.
Notable people and fictional characters with the name include:
People
*Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian ...
. On March 6, 1883, he delivered a lecture before the Geographical Society of Quebec, entitled "The physical geography of the northern part of the province of Quebec." The same year he collaborated with the prestigious American magazine Forest and Stream
''Forest and Stream'' was a magazine featuring hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities in the United States. The magazine was founded in August 1873 by Charles Hallock. When independent publication ceased, in 1930, it was the ninth oldes ...
.
In 1914, he collaborated on a study by the Canadian government on fisheries in the Arctic and the tourism potential of the Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...
. Five years later he helped found the Provancher Society of Natural History.
Works by Comeau
*
*
Notes
General references
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
* Réjean Beaudin, « ''Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau. Le héros légendaire de la Côte-Nord'' », Editions XYZ, collection ''Les grandes figures'', Montréal, February 16, 2006
* Victor-Alphonse Huard, ''Labrador et Anticosti'', C.-O. Beauchemin & Fils, Montréal, 1897.
* ''Revue d’histoire de la Côte-Nord'', no 25-26, 1997.
* Pauline L. Boileau, ''La Côte-Nord contre vents et marées'' Septentrion.
* Yves Thériault, « ''Roi de la Côte-Nord (La vie extraordinaire de Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau)'' », Éditions de l’homme, 1960.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Comeau, Napoleon-Alexandre
1848 births
1923 deaths
Baie-Comeau
Canadian naturalists