Our story begins about 150 years ago, as colonists began to settle along the Rivière du Nord (North River) valley, arriving at Lac des Sables in the early 1850s.At the time, the Weskarini (Algonquin) people used the area as their traditional hunting and fishing grounds. The first colonists who followed were farmers and lumberjacks. A hamlet soon took shape near the lake. It was originally served by a mission, until a Catholic chapel was built and the Parish of Sainte-Agathe was founded in 1861.A mill, erected where the lake discharges into the Rivière du Nord, ground the townspeople’s wheat into flour. Sawmills were also built at various locations, heralding the beginnings of the forestry industry in the region. In those years, the modest village consisted of a number of craftsmen’s workshops and small businesses on Principale and Saint-Vincent streets. In 1892, the arrival of the railroad had a major impact on the development of Sainte-Agathe.
Fuente : Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, une ville, des histoires, a film by Guy Fradette, 2013