La Malbaie () is a municipality in the

Charlevoix-Est Regional County Municipality Charlevoix-Est () is a regional county municipality in the Capitale-Nationale region of Quebec, Canada. The seat is Clermont. Subdivisions There are 9 subdivisions within the RCM: ;Cities & Towns (2) * Clermont * La Malbaie ;Municipalities ...

in the

Province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

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, ...

, Canada, situated on the north shore of the

St. 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. Lawren ...

at the mouth of the

Malbaie River The Malbaie River in the Charlevoix region empties into the Saint Lawrence River at La Malbaie. Until 1985 the river was used to transport logs downstream. It flows through a steep valley known as Les Hautes Gorges. A sugar maple and American e ...

. It was formerly known as Murray Bay. La Malbaie is the seat of the

judicial district A judicial district or legal district denotes the territorial area for which a legal court (usually a district court) has jurisdiction. By continent Europe Austria In texts concerning Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Aus ...

of Charlevoix. Although the main business district is located at the mouth of the Malbaie River, the town itself covers a vast area that extends inland along both sides of the Malbaie River and north and south along the St. Lawrence River. The village of Pointe-au-Pic amalgamated with La Malbaie in 1995, and the villages of Rivière-Malbaie, Sainte-Agnès,

Cap-à-l'Aigle Cap-à-l'Aigle, a town village in La Malbaie, stretches lengthwise on the plateau overlooking the middle Estuary of St. Lawrence#Middle estuary, estuary of the St. Lawrence River, in the Capitale-Nationale region, regional municipality of Char ...

, and

Saint-Fidèle The municipality of Saint-Fidèle () of Charlevoix, formerly the Parish Municipality of Saint-Fidèle-de-Mont-Murray, located at approximately 10.6 kilometers east of the town of La Malbaie, was merged with the latter on 1 January 2000. History ...

were added in 1999. The neighbouring town of Clermont is located about upstream along the Malbaie River.

History

1605: French explorer

Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain (; 13 August 1574#Fichier]For a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see #Ritch, RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December ...

fails to find suitable anchorage on his arrival in the area in May and names the bay ''Malle Baye'' (old French for “bad bay”). 1688: Rudimentary settlement begins at La Malbaie to export lumber to France, but the focus quickly turns to the fur trade and beluga fishing. 1724: A farm established at La Malbaie begins providing meat and grain to the French king's trading posts along the St. Lawrence River. 1763: Two Scottish officers of the British Army— John Nairne (1731–1802) and Malcolm Fraser (1733–1815)—receive concessions in the area from the British Crown. Nairne's encompasses the tiny settlement of La Malbaie and the western side of the Malbaie River. Fraser's stretches to the east. They also rename the bay, settlement, and river “Murray Bay” after James Murray (1721–1794), a British general and the successor to General

James Wolfe Major-general James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the French at the Battle of the Plains of ...

. Murray Bay never becomes the official name, but is the internationally accepted toponym in the 18th and 19th centuries even though La Malbaie remains in local use. 1774: The parish of Saint-Étienne-de-la-Malbaie is founded. 1825: The parish is canonically established. 1830: The steamship ''Waterloo'' pays a visit to La Malbaie “on a pleasure trip,” the first such recorded commercial visit. Circa 1840: For the first time, well-to-do visitors begin to summer in La Malbaie. 1853: Construction of a quay on piles at Pointe-au-Pic makes it possible for steamers to begin providing regular service to leisure travellers. 1855: The Parish Municipality of Saint-Étienne-de-Murray-Bay is founded. 1876: The Murray Bay Golf Club opens, the third oldest course in North America and the oldest still operating at the same location. 1892: Future president of the United States

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...

and his family begin summering in La Malbaie, where he will visit every year for nearly forty years except for his term of office as president. 1896: The village itself is separated from the parish municipality and incorporated as the Village Municipality of La Malbaie. 1899: The luxurious 250-room Manoir Richelieu opens its doors to serve the flood of summertime visitors. Quai de La Malbaie 1912

1914: Newly retired U.S. president

becomes president of the Murray Bay Golf Club, a position he will hold for seven years. 1925: A second golf course opens, the competition-class Manoir Richelieu course. 1928: At the end of the tourist season, the Manoir Richelieu is completely destroyed by fire. It will be rebuilt before the next season begins in 1929. 1957: Saint-Étienne-de-Murray-Bay is renamed Saint-Étienne-de la-Malbaie. 1958: The Village Municipality of La Malbaie officially becomes a town. 1965: The Town of La Malbaie annexes the Parish Municipality of Saint-Étienne-de la-Malbaie. 1995: The Town of La Malbaie and the Village Municipality of Pointe-au-Pic merge to form the Town of La Malbaie–Pointe-au-Pic. 1999: The Municipalities of Rivière-Malbaie and

, the Village Municipality of

, the Parish Municipality of Saint-Agnès, and the Town of La Malbaie–Pointe-au-Pic amalgamate to form the new Town of La Malbaie. 2018: La Malbaie's Manoir Richelieu plays host to the

44th G7 summit The 44th G7 summit was held on 8–9 June 2018, in La Malbaie in the Charlevoix region of Quebec, Canada. This was the sixth time since 1981 that Canada has hosted the meetings. In March 2014, the Group of Seven (G7)—comprising leaders of C ...

, hosted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. La Malbaie has a long history as a holiday destination. Tourism in the area began to develop as far back as 1760 when the

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

feudal lords Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structuring societ ...

John Nairne and Malcolm Fraser began receiving visitors to the region at their estates. The family of Charlotte Holt Gethings is thought to be among the very first to come to La Malbaie for summer holidays, beginning around 1840. Every summer, particularly from the late 1800s on, “Murray Bay” welcomed America's most fashionable families. They picnicked and played, went fishing and swimming, and entertained lavishly in their sprawling but modestly named “cottages” on The Boulevard (today's “Chemin des Falaises”). Many of their descendants still visit every summer to this day. People called Murray Bay the “Newport of Canada.” US Tycoons mingled with mayors and governors and justices of the Supreme Court, there to escape the sweltering cities to the south. And conversation was “easy, intimate, and usually about golf” reported ''New Yorker'' magazine in 1924. One regular visitor of note for nearly forty years was

, who served as president of the United States from 1909 to 1913. He once famously remarked that “The invigorating air of Murray Bay exhilarates like champagne without the effects of the morning after.” The residents of Murray Bay were very demonstrative in their affection for Taft, referring to him as “le petit juge,” lifting their caps to him as he drove by, and performing

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

sketches during the winter months in which he was played by the most rotund villager. They burned a candle at the time of his death, and spat upon hearing of his betrayal by

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

. Members of the

Taft family The Taft family is an American political family of English descent, with origins in Massachusetts. Its members have served in the states of Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island, Utah, and Vermont, and the United States federal government, in variou ...

are still a part of the local summer scene. The American heritage of La Malbaie is still present in the inns and country homes, in bed & breakfasts frozen in time, and in the imposing Fairmont Manoir Richelieu, which hosted the world's political elite at the

44th G7 Summit The 44th G7 summit was held on 8–9 June 2018, in La Malbaie in the Charlevoix region of Quebec, Canada. This was the sixth time since 1981 that Canada has hosted the meetings. In March 2014, the Group of Seven (G7)—comprising leaders of C ...

in June 2018.

Geography

La Malbaie is located in the Charlevoix Seismic Zone, which is the most active

seismic zone In seismology, a seismic zone or seismic belt is an area of seismicity potentially sharing a common cause. It can be referred to as an earthquake belt as well. It may also be a region on a map for which a common areal rate of seismicity is assume ...

Eastern Canada Eastern Canada (, also the Eastern provinces, Canadian East or the East) is generally considered to be the region of Canada south of Hudson Bay/ Hudson Strait and east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces (from east to west): Newf ...

. La Malbaie is notable for having an extremely high seismic risk, although a significant earthquake has not occurred in the region recently. Rivers flowing through the municipality include: *

Comporté River The Comporté River is a tributary of the Malbaie River flowing generally southward into the territory of the town of La Malbaie in the Eastern part of the Charlevoix Regional County Municipality, in Quebec, in Canada. This river has a gap in elev ...

* Jacob River * Mailloux River *

* Port au Saumon River *

Rivière de Chicago The Chicago River is a tributary of the east bank of the middle part of the Rivière du Gouffre, flowing in the administrative region of Capitale-Nationale, in the province from Quebec, to Canada. The course of this river flows through the region ...

Rivière Jean-Noël Nord-Est The Jean-Noël Nord-Est River is a tributary of the north bank of the Jean-Noël River, flowing in the town of La Malbaie and the municipality of Saint-Irénée, in Charlevoix-Est Regional County Municipality, in the administrative region of C ...

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

, La Malbaie 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. Mother tongue (2021): * English as first language: 0.8% * French as first language: 98.1% * English and French as first language: 0.3% * Other as first language: 0.6%

Government

List of former mayors of the former Village/Town of La Malbaie (1896–1995): * J. S. Perrault, 1896–1898 * Joseph Couturier, 1898–1907 * Alphonse Guay, 1907–1910 * E. J. Duggan, 1910–1913 * Joseph-Arthur Lapointe, 1913–1916; 1921–1924 * Joseph-Edouard Cauchon, 1917–1920 * Rolland Warren, 1920 * Joseph T. Tremblay, 1925–1930 * Ernest Carré, 1930–1939 * Ludovic Couturier, 1939–1941 * Jean-Charles Rochette, 1941–1948 * Alcide Harvey, 1948–1951 * Henri-Paul Couturier, 1951 * Boris Maltais, 1951–1958 * Martial Asselin, 1958–1963 * Louis-Philippe Dufour, 1964–1965 * Paul X. Laberge, 1966–1970 * Lucien Harvey, 1970–1986 * Claudette B. Bergeron, 1986–1989 * Jules Maltais, 1989–1995 List of former mayors of La Malbaie--Pointe-au-Pic (1995–1999): * Jean Lajoie, 1995 * Louis Bergeron, 1995–1999 List of former mayors of La Malbaie: * Louis Bergeron, 1999–2002 * Jean-Luc Simard, 2002–2009 * Lise Lapointe, 2009-2013 * Michel Couturier, 2013–present

Attractions

La Malbaie's scenic beauty and closeness to nature have always been popular draws. A steamer menu from the earliest days of tourism included a note that “Many families from Quebec visit Malbaie in the summer for the benefit of salt water bathing, the water here being perfectly sea-salt. There is also excellent salmon fishing . . . Sea trout are likewise taken here of a considerable size and several small lakes at a few miles distance afford abundance of trout.” Modern visitors still come for the scenery, but are more likely to swim in the pools of the Manoir Richelieu than in the salt-water river. And they not only fish, but also go hiking, cycling, and golfing in summer, and skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling in winter. However, “the romance of the French Canadian culture is surely the greatest draw” remarked one regular summer resident from the U.S. when queried.Email from Sara Muspratt, January 10, 2021 Manoir Richelieu01

La Malbaie's most noted landmark is the Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu, a hotel operated under the

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a global chain of luxury hotel that operates more than 70 properties worldwide, with a strong presence in Canada. The company originated from two hotel businesses established in the late 19th century, the Canadian Pac ...

banner. It was first built in 1899, then rebuilt in 1929 after it was destroyed by fire. The building was acquired by Fairmont in 1998 and reopened under the current banner in 1999. It is particularly noted for its panoramic location on a cliff overlooking the St. Lawrence River. The hotel hosted the

, June 8–9, 2018. The Casino de Charlevoix is located next to the Manoir. La Malbaie has two golf courses. The Manoir's is perched panoramically on the hilltop above the hotel, while the Murray Bay Golf Club is tucked into the bay near the centre of town.

Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park The Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Rivière-Malbaie National Park (, ) is a provincial park in the Charlevoix region of Quebec, Canada. Centring on the Malbaie River Gorge, it is the centrepiece of the UNESCO Charlevoix biosphere reserve. It is administere ...

, about northwest of town, is popular with outdoor enthusiasts. It features hiking and cycling trails and a scenic boat tour on the Malbaie River. Mont Grand-Fonds is a ski hill located about north of town. It features a vertical drop of and average annual snowfall of . It also has of cross-country ski trails and of snowshoe trails. Musée de Charlevoix is a museum of history and popular art located within walking distance of many local hotels and inns. The

sector of La Malbaie (across the bay from the main part of town) is a member of "Quebec's association of most beautiful villages". With its many heritage residences and inns, it is a popular place to go for a stroll, particularly in June when its lilac trees are in full bloom. Cap-à-l’Aigle also has a marina. Agrotourism is a big draw in La Malbaie and throughout Charlevoix, with many local producers welcoming visitors. Observatoire de l’Astroblème de Charlevoix is an interpretation centre on the meteorite origins of Charlevoix's geography. Although the whales don't often venture as far upriver as La Malbaie, the town is within easy driving distance of

Tadoussac Tadoussac () is a village municipality in La Haute-Côte-Nord RCM (Regional County Municipality), on the north shore of the maritime section of the estuary of St. Lawrence river, in Côte-Nord region, Quebec, Canada. Geography Tadoussac is ...

, where visitors can take a whale-watching tour and visit the Saguenay Fjord.

Notable people

Laure Conan Marie-Louise-Félicité Angers (9 January 1845 – 6 June 1924), better known by her pen name Laure Conan, was a French Canadian writer and journalist. She is regarded as one of the first French-Canadian female novelists and the writer of th ...

(1845–1924), pen name of Marie-Louise-Félicité Angers, French-Canadian novelist *

Francis Cabot Francis Higginson Cabot, (August 6, 1925 – November 19, 2011) was an American financier, gardener and horticulturist. He founded The Garden Conservancy in 1989. Early life He was a member of the New York branch of the prominent Cabot fam ...

(1925–2011), American gardener and horticulturalist * Ann-Renée Desbiens (born 1994), Olympic gold and silver medalist in ice hockey, goaltender for

Montreal Victoire The Montreal Victoire () are a professional ice hockey team based in the Greater Montreal area that competes in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). They are one of the six charter franchises of the league. The team plays its home game ...

, and member of the

Canada women's national ice hockey team The Canadian women's national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Canada in women's hockey. The team is overseen by Hockey Canada, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and participates in international competitions ...

* Valérie Harvey (born 1979), writer and sociologist

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:La Malbaie Cities and towns in Quebec Incorporated places in Capitale-Nationale