Petite-Rivière-Saint-François

Petite-Rivière-Saint-François (French pronunciation: [pətit ʁivjɛʁ sɛ̃ fʁɑ̃swa]) is a municipality in Quebec, Canada, along the St. Lawrence River. It is considered the gateway to the Charlevoix region.

It is named after the Petite rivière Saint-François (Little Saint-François River), and home to Le Massif ski resort.

History

In June 1603, Samuel de Champlain sailed past there and wrote about the location: "The following Thursday, we left [Hare Island], and lowered the anchor in a dangerous cove on the north side, where there are some meadows and a little river where the Indians sometimes camp." The name Petite Rivière ("Little River") stuck, although over time the place has been identified in many other ways: Cap-Raide, Rivière-du-Sot, Anse-aux-Pommiers, l'Abattis (1695), l'Abatis (1755), Vieille-Rivière, Ruisseau-à-la-Nasse, Cap-Maillard, François-Xavier, Côte-de-Saint-François-Xavier' Saint-François-Xavier-de-la-Petite-Rivière-Saint-François.

In 1636, the entire area from Beauport to the Rivière du Gouffre was granted as a seignory to the Company of One Hundred Associates. This seignory, called Seigneury of Beaupré, was acquired by the Seminary of Quebec in 1662.

In 1675, the Seminary of Quebec granted land to Claude Bouchard, followed by another 15 concessions until the end of the 17th century. The settlement, the oldest in the Charlevoix region, grew at the mouth of the Little River in a deep valley east of Cape Maillard where natural open grassland accommodated the early colonizers. In 1721, the local parish was formed, named Saint-François-Xavier after Francis Xavier, founder of the Jesuits. In 1825, the community was connected to the Chemin des Caps (now Route 138).

In 1845, it was incorporated but the municipality was abolished in 1847. In 1855, it was reestablished as the Parish Municipality of Saint-François-Xavier-de-la-Petite-Rivière. In common use, the place remained known as just Petite-Rivière.

In 1914, the Charlevoix Railway between Quebec City and La Malbaie, along with two stations in the municipality, was built. In 1927, a quay was constructed, leading to shipbuilding and maritime transportation activity in Petite-Rivière. Passenger service on the railway ended in 1959. In the 1970s, Le Massif ski resort opened.

In 1986, it changed status and name to become the Municipality of Petite-Rivière-Saint-François.

Geography

The inhabited part of the municipality is located on a narrow strip of land between the St. Lawrence River and the Laurentian Mountains. From its source in the centre of the municipality, the Petite rivière Saint-François flows southeast to its mouth at the St. Lawrence.

In addition to the main population centre of Petite-Rivière, the municipality also contains the hamlets of Grande-Pointe (47°16′27″N 70°34′27″W), Maillard (47°20′13″N 70°32′46″W), and Saint-Cassien-des-Caps (47°21′31″N 70°36′52″W).