A City Built by and for the Forest

Discover the important moments and places in the young history of a town that has lived and grown by and for the forest. Welcome to Forestville!

CONTEXT

Originally, the site was called Sault-Aux-Cochons, name taken from the adjacent river, until Grant-William Forrest came and founded a sawmill in 1845, hence the attribution of the name Forrest-Ville, which shall become Forestville in subsequent years. In 1949, Forestville is inhabited by 265 families, with a population of 1430. Among these families, about 30 are anglophone and protestant. Logging in this backcountry generates over 1000 seasonal jobs each year and numerous businesses settle in this young community.

In 1952, the works over at the Betsiamites river and the two hydroelectric power plants, Bersimis 1 and Bersismis 2, strengthen numerous jobs as well as Forestville’s notoriety. These works are then the first megaproject for the state-owned enterprise. This is also the precursor for other big projects in the region, for instance those on the Manicouagan and Outardes rivers.  Regarding St-Maurice-de-Labrieville , a town specifically created to house workers and families in the area, there is no trace of it left nowadays.

The logging industry has drastically declined in Forestville by 1992 as the Daishowa paper mill (currently known as Papier Stadacona) gave up on their activities in the town. Having lived for and by the forest, Forestville is now defined as a service center for residents of the Haute-Côte-Nord region.

PRODUCTION
Ville de Forestville