Montbeillard

From your vantage point, you can see the current church in Montbeillard.

The photo shown here depicts the second church in Montbeillard, which was inaugurated at Christmas 1940. In the background is the first log church. Both were destroyed by a massive forest fire in May 1941.

During your journey, don’t hesitate to veer off the main road and take the small paths leading to the shores of Lake Opasatica—commonly known as Long Lake—to discover some charming little spots in this neighborhood!

Photo source: BAnQ

Indeed! The church near which you are standing is not the third in the village, but actually the fourth! Moreover, it was previously located at the other end of the village. If you are observant, you will notice that the presbytery, built in 1942 at the same time as the third church, is still there!

Photo source: BAnQ

With their husbands out in the fields, the women certainly didn’t just sit around doing nothing! There was plenty of work for the whole family—and lots of it! Without a woman by their side to handle numerous tasks, the settlers would have been in a real bind, and it was even said that a settler couldn’t succeed without his wife’s undeniable contribution!

In the photo, women tending the potato field in 1934.

Photo source: BAnQ

Built in 1936, the building you can see on the right in the background was originally constructed to serve the Domaine Fatima Estate.

In 1940, the estate became a summer camp run by the Saint-Michel parish in Rouyn, capable of hosting up to 500 youth each summer!

Today, the site is managed by a private company and is known as Domaine Opasatica. In addition to cottage rentals, the site offers a wide range of water sports and all kinds of outdoor activities.

Photo source: BAnQ

This artwork depicts a natural monument—Mount Chaudron, also known as Cheminis Hill—visible in the background. Nature was there before humans. Humans appear as translucent figures along the shore of Lake Opasatica, conveying the idea of “passage.” We do not put down roots in the landscape.

In the foreground is the forest, where the main dwellings that made up the village at that time are depicted, along with the agricultural and forestry activities that provided a means of subsistence.

Artist: Agnès Champagne

Year: 2016

Material: Acrylic on UHD panel

1932: Under the Gordon Plan, the parish of Saint-Augustin of Montbeillard was founded by settlers from Montreal, Hull, and Trois-Rivières

1940: The telephone service was established, and the cooperative butter factory was founded

1950–1975: Years of prosperity, thanks in particular to the village’s five sawmills

1954: Electrification

1969: Decline in agriculture caused by the introduction of milk quotas

1976: Rapid decline in dairy production due to quota cuts

2002: Merger with the other municipalities of the MRC