Town of Lac-Mégantic
Capital of the Granite region
Part of Haut Saint-François
Toponymy
Agnes and Saint-Agnès recall the memory of Susan Agnes Bernard, wife of Sir John Alexander Macdonald, Prime Minister of Canada (1878-1891).
Ditchfield may come from Ditchford, a village in Northamptonshire, England.
Marston refers to Marston Moor, a village in Yorkshire, England.
Mégantic, borrowed from the lake of the same name, would be a distortion of namesokanjik, word abénaquis meaning “place where fish (salmon trout) are found”; in the Cree language, megantic would come from mangatik composed of many meaning “big”, “big”, “wide”, and atik meaning “wood”, “tree” all meaning “big wood”; the lake was actually filled with fish and surrounded by forests.
Morinville is the original name given to it in honor of Dominique Morin, one of the first settlers of the place. Spaulding is reminiscent of a town in Lincolnshire, England. Whitton recalls several localities in England.
Geographical markers
On the right slope of the St. Lawrence basin.
About 90 km east-northeast of Sherbrooke. On the shores of Lake Mégantic.
Diocese of Sherbrooke. Judicial district of Mégantic (capital). Granit Regional County Municipality (head office). Eastern Townships tourist region
Access: Route 204 x Route 161
Municipality of Lac-Mégantic
The town of Lac-Mégantic, located in Estrie, covers an area of 20 square kilometers, 105 kilometers from Sherbrooke, 55 kilometers from Scotstown and 35 kilometers from the American border. The town is part of the regional county municipality of Granit. Lac-Mégantic brings together approximately 6 thousand Méganticoises and Méganticois.
In the past, the Kennebec and Chaudière rivers constitute the main routes of communication between New France and New England. Native American nations seem to have frequented the place and the region would have been explored at the request of Samuel de Champlain.
In 1907, the municipalities of the villages of Mégantic and Agnès, incorporated in 1885 and 1895 respectively, were merged to form the town of Mégantic.
In 1958, the city changed its name to Lac-Mégantic, to better reflect its most important geographical feature, Lake Mégantic.
Thanks to its geographical position, the city provides excellent access to resources and raw materials.
The Lac-Mégantic Industrial Park benefits from an advantageous proximity to the Quebec and North-East American markets, it is connected to routes 161 and 204, the main roads in the region. The Industrial Park is served by Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Canada which operates a railway linking Eastern Canada to the Northeastern United States.
Lake Mégantic
Geography
Lac-Mégantic is located at the eastern end of the administrative region of Estrie, in the MRC du Granit, 35 km from the Canadian-American border.
The Chaudière River has its source in Lake Mégantic and empties into the St. Lawrence River, some 175 km further north, near Lévis (Saint-Romuald). The town of Lac-Mégantic is located 50 km from Mont Mégantic, where the most powerful astronomical observatory in eastern North America is located.
The pedestrian network of the Border Trails (134 km) unites the Parc du Mont-Mégantic (1105 m.) to the territory of Mount Gosford (1193 m.), via the Montagne de Marbre (900 m), and Mount Saddle (967 m. ), partly by using the Canada-US border corridor.
Several infrastructures are found there, including camping platforms, an observation tower (Mount Gosford), three-sided shelters (Gosford sector) and rustic camps (Gosford sector). Accessible for excursions lasting a few hours up to hikes lasting several days (six to eight days).
Find out about possible routes, as well as accessibility during the fall period (hunting period), because certain private sectors are closed.
The Border Trails (SF) form a 134 km route, including secondary trails, linking Mont-Mégantic National Park to Route 161, near the Woburn customs post.
They are more frequented in the areas of Marbre Mountain in Notre-Dame-des-Bois and the Mont-Gosford Inhabited Forest.
In 2005, more than 5,000 short and long distance walkers passed through the Gosford Forest reception station.
The difficulty level ranges from one to three. Gosford has 8 sites with tent platforms, two three-sided shelters and four shelters with camp beds and wood heating.
Loops of one, two or three days are possible at Gosford. The Border Trails are therefore an opportunity to discover nature that is both harsh and beautiful and will meet the expectations of hiking enthusiasts. Some areas are closed during the hunting season.
Includes three mountains: de Marbre, Saddle and Gosford (1,193 meters, highest peak in the Eastern Townships). Observation tower, 360-degree panoramic view, reading tables.
The creation of Lake Mégantic dates from the ice age, when, some 12,000 years ago, basins left by the melted glacier formed bodies of water which evolved over the millennia. Lake Mégantic, therefore, is located in such a basin.
The outlet of Lac Mégantic is the source of the Chaudière River and at this location is the only town in the region, Lac-Mégantic.
The lake takes its name from the Abenaki word Namesokanjik, which translates to something like "place full of fish", however, another version says that the word for the lake's name is Namagontekw, meaning "lake with salmon trout”.
Indeed, before the arrival of Europeans, Native Americans frequented the region for centuries, but it was Father Druillettes of the Jesuit mission of Sillery who discovered the lake for the French in 1646, during an expedition to found a mission to evangelize the Abenaki population.
More than 120 manufacturing companies are present in Lac-Mégantic, for example, the largest particle board company in the world is located here, as well as international companies in the hardwood plywood and office furniture sectors. and wooden doors.
The operation of these businesses leads to the expansion of related businesses.
The region has a qualified workforce.
The City of Lac-Mégantic offers incentives for the establishment of new residents: the construction of industrial buildings for businesses interested in start-up rentals, the very competitive cost of purchasing land, the development of park infrastructure, such as aqueduct, sewer, fire services, railway, as well as the possibility of exemption from property taxes for investors who undertake construction.
The unemployment rate here has remained below the provincial average for more than a decade.
On the tourism side, the town of Lac-Mégantic offers many attractions for hunting and fishing enthusiasts. The first club was founded there in 1887, it was the Megantic Fish & Game Club.
In addition to the station, a jewel of the past, we are won over by the picturesqueness of the city.
Several buildings in the city center will interest besides architecture lovers: the Sainte-Agnès church, dating from 1913, a Catholic temple in neo-Gothic style which displays a splendid London glass roof behind the main altar; Saint-Barnabas Church, erected in 1892, in the neo-Queen Anne style;
The Presbyterian chapel from 1890 and the Notre-Dame-de-Fatima church, built in 1848.
There is also the Namesokanijik museum, located in the corridors of Lac-Mégantic city hall. This museum brings together different artifacts and will also fascinate history lovers.
Two national parks, Frontenac Park and Mont-Mégantic Park, offer several possibilities for outdoor enthusiasts. Hiking, cycling and horse riding, mountain biking,canoeing, camping, fishing, swimming, water sports and, in winter, ski touring and snowshoeing. Near the marina, in the city center, we discover the Veterans Park.
The golf course is another attraction of the city.
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