The seignory of Lac-Matapédia () is a forest land located on the north shore of

Lake Matapédia Lake Matapedia is a body of water in the Matapedia Valley, located in the unorganized territory of Lac-Matapédia, in Sayabec, in Val-Brillant, in La Matapédia Regional County Municipality, in administrative region of Bas-Saint-Laurent, in Que ...

in the

Matapédia Valley The Matapedia Valley (, ) was formed by the Chic-Choc Mountains of eastern Québec. Its name is derived from the river that traverses the valley, as well as the lake that lies in its center. It is situated in the southwest of the Gaspé Penins ...

in the unorganized territory of Lac-Matapédia, in

Amqui Amqui (; ) is a town in eastern Quebec, Canada, at the base of the Gaspé peninsula in Bas-Saint-Laurent. Located at the confluence of the Humqui and Matapédia Rivers, it is the seat of La Matapédia Regional County Municipality. The main acce ...

, and in

Sayabec Sayabec (; ) is a municipality located in the La Matapédia Regional County Municipality (RCM) in Bas-Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada. It is located in the Matapédia Valley between the Chic-Choc Mountains of the Appalachian Mountains, Appalachian ...

, in the

La Matapédia Regional County Municipality La Matapédia () is a regional county municipality (RCM) in eastern Quebec, Canada at the base of the Gaspé peninsula, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region. Its seat is in Amqui. It is named after the Matapédia River which runs through the western p ...

, in administrative region of

Bas-Saint-Laurent The Bas-Saint-Laurent (, 'Lower Saint-Lawrence) is an administrative region of Quebec located along the south shore of the lower Saint Lawrence River in Quebec. The river widens at this place, later becoming a bay that discharges into the Atlan ...

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. The territory is under a "forest supply and management contract" (''contrat d'approvisionnement et d'aménagement forestier'' or CAAF) with the

Ministry of Natural Resources and Wildlife (Quebec) The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests ( French: ''Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts'') is responsible for the management of natural resource extraction in the Canadian province of Québec. The current Minister is Maïté ...

. It is also the

regional Park A regional park is an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, recreational use or other reason, and under the administration of a form of local government. Definition A regional park can be a special park distr ...

of Lac-Matapédia. The territory is named after Lake Matapédia. The origins of this name are from the

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...

word ''matapegiag'', meaning "rivers junction". In the 1600s, maps were showing the name ''Matapeguia''.
Seigneurie du Lac-Matapédia
' in ''Fiche descriptive'' of Commission de toponymie of Québec, retrieved on May 28, 2013

Geography

The seignory of Lac-Matapédia is included in the unorganized territory of the same name, Lac-Matapédia, Quebec, in the

in the

region. Located on the

Gaspé Peninsula The Gaspé Peninsula, also known as Gaspesia (, ; ), is a peninsula along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River that extends from the Matapedia Valley in Quebec, Canada, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is separated from New Brunswick on it ...

in the

, it is part of the Gaspésie touristic region. The seignory is a

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

long on the north shore of

, and covers an area of .
Un nouveau statut pour la seigneurie du Lac Matapédia?
'' in ''La Vie rurale'', April 23, 2008, retrieved on May 28, 2013 Formerly, the seignory covered the whole region around Lake Matapédia.

History

The region was first inhabited by

Mi'kmaq people The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...

before the arrival of Europeans in North America. On May 26, 1694, the seignory of Lac-Matapeguia has been granted to Charles-Nicolas-Joseph d'Amours de Louviers (or Damour de Louvière) by the

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

's governor,

Comte de Frontenac ''Comte'' is the French, Catalan and Occitan form of the word "count" (Latin: ''comes''); ''comté'' is the Gallo-Romance form of the word "county" (Latin: ''comitatus''). Comte or Comté may refer to: * ''Comte'', French for a count (i.e. the nob ...

, and the intendant, Champigny. Charles d'Amours de Louviers died in 1728 without explicitly bequeathed the seignory. However Marie-Françoise Damours de Louvières inherited it. She had married Jean-Baptiste Moyse de Rémond, and bequeathed the seignory to their son

Jean-Baptiste Raymond Jean-Baptiste Raymond (December 6, 1757 – March 19, 1825) was a seigneur, businessman and political figure in Lower Canada. Life He was born in Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies in New France in 1757 and entered the fur trade at an early age. He l ...

. Having financial difficulties, he sold it for £700 in June 1796 to Patrick Langan. Originally, the seignory covered the whole territory surrounding Lake Matapédia. In the 1830s during the building of Kempt and Matapédia Roads there was no mentions of this seignory on the maps. The parish of

had been canonically erected in 1896, and encompassed a portion of the seignory of Lac-Matapédia. In the 1920s around 500 families lived in the parish of Sayabec. Joseph Désiré Michaud, p. 21 To the east the parish of

Val-Brillant, Quebec Val-Brillant () is a municipality in eastern Quebec, Canada, at the base of the Gaspé peninsula. On the southern shores of the Lake Matapedia, Val-Brillant is part of the Matapédia Valley. The place was previously known by many other names: ...

had been canonically erected in 1889 at the demand of Pierre Brillant, nicknamed the "Father of the Valley". Joseph Désiré Michaud, p. 24 This parish was completely included in the territory of the seignory. At the eastern tip of Lake Matapédia where it becomes the

Matapédia River The Matapedia River (, ) is a river in the Matapedia Valley in the province of Quebec, Canada. It runs on from Matapedia Lake down to the village of Matapédia where it empties into the left bank of Restigouche River on the provincial border of ...

the parish of

had been canonically erected in 1889, and included part of the seignory's territory. In the 1920s Amqui had more than 3,000 inhabitants. Joseph Désiré Michaud, p. 25

Toponym

This toponymic designation is linked to that of the seigneury of Lac-Matapédia. The governor

Louis de Buade de Frontenac Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS Louis, HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy Se ...

and the intendant Champigny had granted this seigneury on May 26, 1694, to Charles-Nicolas-Joseph Damours. The toponym "Parc régional de la Seigneurie-du-Lac-Matapédia" (Seigneurie-du-Lac-Matapédia Regional Park) is linked to the name of the Seigneurie (lordship). This toponym was made official on November 27, 2015, at the Place Names Bank of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.Commission de toponymie du Québec - Bank of place names - File: Parc régional de la Seigneurie-du-Lac-Matapédia.
/ref>

Protection

A protected area, the refuge forest of Lac-Matapédia, had been created to protect calypsos. A part of the seignory of Lac-Matapédia had been constituted into a regional park.

Tourism

There are seven foot trails of a total of doing loops. The

International Appalachian Trail The International Appalachian Trail (IAT; , SIA) was originally a hiking trail which ran from Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, in Maine, through New Brunswick, to the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec, after which it followed a ferry route ...

runs across the seignory of Lac-Matapédia Several beaches are located along the Lake Matapédia in the territory of the seignory. Those beaches are open to the public. The access period to the park from June to November is by road 132 in

. Visitors can take the Anse-Saint-Jean bridge. Then, turn right onto Rang Saint-Jean-Baptiste, then turn left onto Route Labrie. Turn left on the Soucy road and continue for about ten kilometers.

Activities

Outdoor enthusiasts can indulge in hiking or cycling on landscaped trails. In addition, they can practice water sports on beautiful Lake Matapedia, including birdwatching and beach activities in the summer season. The park offers eight hiking trails with free access: the Promontoire ( for beginners), Lac Caché ( for beginners), Les Criques ( for beginners), the Petit Lac ( for beginners), the Crêtes ( of intermediate category), the Trois Soeurs (, intermediate), l'Héronnière (, intermediate) and the Rochers (, intermediate).BaliseQuébec - RandoQuébec - Seigneurie-du-Lac-Matapédia Regional Park
/ref> The trails allow you to admire the panorama of the Matapedia valley.Official site La Matapédia - Seigneurie-du-Lac-Matapédia Regional Park
/ref> The park website indicates that the Three Sisters Trail largely corresponds to the International Appalachian Trail. In addition, the return to the parking lot (starting point) is via the Coulée trail for shared use.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

Official website of Parc régional de la Seigneurie-du-Lac-Matapédia (Seigneurie-du-Lac-Matapédia Regional Park)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seignory of Lac-Matapedia New France Protected areas of Bas-Saint-Laurent History of Bas-Saint-Laurent

Geography

History

Toponym

Protection

Tourism

Activities

See also

References

Bibliography

External links