Kamouraska (Qué)

Kamouraska (Qué)

  Kamouraska, Qué, Municipality, pop 705 (2006c), 700 (2001c), inc 1987. Kamouraska is located on the south shore of the ST LAWRENCE RIVER, 125 km northeast of Québec City. In Algonquian its name means "rushes at the water's edge." In 1674 a seigneury was granted to Olivier Morel de la Durantaye. In 1714 the parish of Saint-Louis was founded. In the 18th century, Kamouraska was one of the largest settlements on the South Shore. At the start of the 19th century, the seigneury belonged to the Taché family, one of whose members, Sir Étienne-Paschal TACHÉ, served as prime minister of the Province of Canada (1855-57). Agriculture prospered in the area and the region was called "the granary of Lower Canada."

In 1849 the first superior court outside Québec City was established here. Incorporated as a village in 1858, Kamouraska was an important tourist area in the 19th and early 20th centuries. People came to admire the countryside, breathe the salt air and bathe in the sea. As parishes grew in size, a number of them such as St-Pascal, St-Denis and Ste-Hélène separated from Saint-Louis, thus accounting for its small population today. Anne HÉBERT's novel KAMOURASKA recounts tragic events that occurred here in 1839.