Saint-Bruno-de-Guigues (), often shortened to Guigues, is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in northwestern

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 Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, in the

Témiscamingue Regional County Municipality Témiscamingue () is a regional county municipality in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of western Quebec, Canada. The county seat is Ville-Marie. Though Témiscamingue borders Pontiac Regional County Municipality to the south, it is not prac ...

. In addition to the main namesake population centre, the municipality also includes the hamlet of Pointe-Piché, located on the shores of

Lake Timiskaming Lake Timiskaming or Lake Temiskaming (, ) is a large freshwater lake on the Provinces and territories of Canada, provincial boundary between Ontario and Quebec, Canada. The lake, which forms part of the Ottawa River, is in length and covers ...

History

The area was originally inhabited by

Algonquin people The Algonquin people are an Indigenous people who now live in Eastern Canada and parts of the United States. They speak the Algonquin language, which is part of the Algonquian language family. Culturally and linguistically, they are closely ...

, who had discovered a

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

mine as early as the 17th century. The mine was not exploited however until circa 1850, when it was rediscovered and noted for its high silver content. The Wright mine, operating between 1885 and 1903, and from 1915 to 1952, was Canada's first

silver mine Silver mining is the extraction of silver by mining. Silver is a precious metal and holds high economic value. Because silver is often found in intimate combination with other metals, its extraction requires the use of complex technologies. In ...

. The first settler was Édouard Piché, who arrived in 1863. A year later, he moved to the place that came to be known as Pointe Piché. In 1881, the geographic township of Guigues was proclaimed, named in honour of

Joseph-Bruno Guigues Joseph-Eugène-Bruno Guigues (; 26 August 1805 – 8 February 1874) was an Oblate priest, a teacher and became the first bishop of the diocese of Bytown (Ottawa) serving from (1847–1874). His consecration service in 1848 was performed by ...

. In 1886, the parish of Saint-Bruno-de-Guigues was established. The following year, 20 families lived in Guigues Township, which grew to 300 by 1897. That same year, the township was incorporated as the Township Municipality of Guigues. In 1912, the Township Municipality of Guigues was divided into the Parish Municipality of Saint-Bruno-de-Guigues and the Municipality of

Saint-Eugène-de-Guigues Saint-Eugène-de-Guigues () is a municipality in northwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Témiscamingue Regional County Municipality. History In 1881, the geographic township of Guigues was proclaimed, named in honour of Joseph-Eugène-Bruno Guigu ...

. On May 6, 1995, the Parish Municipality of Saint-Bruno-de-Guigues changed statutes to become a regular municipality.

Demographics

Mother tongue (2021): * English as first language: 1.7% * French as first language: 95.4% * English and French as first language: 1.3% * Other as first language: 1.7% QC Hwy 101

Government

List of former mayors: * Gérard Pétrin (...–2009) * Joanne Larochelle (2009–2013) * Donald Alarie (2013–2015) * Carmen Côté (2016–2021) * Richard Robert (2021–present)

References

External links

* {{authority control Municipalities in Quebec Incorporated places in Abitibi-Témiscamingue Témiscamingue Regional County Municipality

History

Demographics

Government

See also

References

External links