I believe, like people, places have their own personalities. When we arrive to a new destination, we decide, almost instantly, if we want to get to know it better, or pass on through. On my visit to Saguenay and Lac Saint-Jean, I found a region filled with character.
But let me start at the beginning. In a moment of silence, an achingly beautiful rendition of Schubert’s “Ave Maria” seeps through the loudspeakers on the outside deck of our Navettes Maritimes du Fjord marine shuttle, as all of us on board gaze up at the glistening white Notre Dame du Saguenay, vigilantly perched atop the cliffs, some 100 metres above us.
Her benefactor, Charles Napoleon Robitaille, a travelling salesman who had almost died when he broke through the winter ice here on the Saguenay Fjord, had prayed for the Virgin Mary’s help, and the miracle prevailed. When Robitaille arrived home, he became ill and almost died, so again asked Mary for help. This time, he promised he would build a statue to honour her, if he lived. Robitaille survived to do so, and, in my mind, the third miracle is that in 1881 – pre-helicopter days – he was able to get this three-tonne wonder up to her final resting spot.
Formed by glacial activity 1.2 million years ago, Saguenay Fjord connects Saguenay River to the St. Lawrence in the south. The fjord itself is protected, and due to a unique dual ecosystem where warm fresh water floats on salty, Arctic-stream water, it provides a home to more than 1,800 marine species, including several types of whales (it’s known for its belugas), harbour porpoises, dolphins and seals.
Both shores of the fjord are home to Saguenay Fjord National Park, which offers a plethora of hiking, biking and outdoor adventures, and is also the trailhead for the 215-kilometre Sentier Notre-Dame Kapatakan pilgrimage trail.
Starting from the Baie Éternité Discovery and Visitors Centre earlier in the morning, I’d shared the park’s 7.5-kilometre Statue Trail with a busload of energetic high school students. Their enthusiasm kept me moving at a good pace up through the steep forest and along the fjord’s highest cliffs to our destination – the outlook where the 7.5-metre-high Notre Dame du Saguenay towers benevolently over amazing views up and down Québec’s only fjord. I didn’t need to dig too deeply to feel the amazing spirituality of nature here.
My shuttle ride ends at L’Anse Saint-Jean, one of the earliest settlements in the Saguenay region. Here, I find the beauty queen. L’Anse Saint-Jean is recognized as one of the most beautiful villages in Québec, and as I indulge in a croissant at Boulangerie Artisanale Nuances de Grains, so light and flaky it’s like I’m eating sweet buttery air, I acknowledge how this beauty got that prize. It’s not only the good looks of the sparkling fjord and surrounding mountains or the warm, friendly residents, but she’s also filled with charming cafés, an ice cream shop, inns overlooking the bay (like Chalets sur le Fjord, where I stayed), and 19th and early 20th century architecture. And this glamour girl doesn’t just have regional fame – in the 1950s, she was featured on the back of the Canadian $1000 bill with her famous 1931 covered bridge (today filled with local art) front-and-centre.
The next day, an hour’s drive back northwest along the fjord route brings me to Chicoutimi, first settled as a fur trading post by the French in 1676. If the Saguenay Fjord is the spiritual one, and L’anse Saint Jean the beauty, Chicoutimi is the history keeper.
At the Pulperie de Chicoutimi Regional Museum, now a National Historic Site of Canada, I browse the various multimedia exhibitions to learn about the pulp and paper mill’s workers and processes. The Chicoutimi Pulp Company opened here in 1896 for the hydraulic power it could get from the vertical drop on the Chicoutimi River. In the glory days of pulp and paper, 1,000 workers were employed, and the company was the largest producer of mechanical wood pulp in Canada before going bankrupt in 1924.
I’m surprised by the Arthur Villeneuve exhibition, a now famous Québécois naïve-style painter. This local barber-turned-artist became fervent about his painting after attending a Sunday mass, where the faithful were implored to make use of their talents. Soon after, Villeneuve starting painting frescoes on the outside of his house (the entire structure has been moved inside the museum) depicting French Canadian history, local scenery and popular legends of the region. After Villeneuve had completely covered the outside of his home, he moved inside to paint every nook and cranny of the interior, even the windows.
The museum grounds are no less incredible, and as I follow the interpretive signs along the trails, I’m amazed by the exceptional intactness of the mill buildings. With their lovely stone masonry, gabled façades and large windows, it’s no wonder this “industrial cathedral” is home to several musical performances every summer.
Back on the road, I drive further inland alongside the ocean-like Lac Saint-Jean (it’s 1,053 square kilometres), which drains into the Saguenay River, to my destination, Val-Jalbert. Also steeped in history, Val-Jalbert is the visionary sibling. Founded in 1901 as a pulp mill company town, it soon began to thrive. But more than that, Val-Jalbert was ultra-modern with electricity and running water, 25 years ahead of surrounding communities. Newcomers competed to get a job here, so they, too, could live the good life.
With the crash of the pulp and paper industry, this mill also collapsed in 1924 and, over the next few years, the village was abandoned. Then, in 2010, a local corporation with another vision made a multi-million-dollar investment to turn the ghost town into a full-immersion 1920s tourist experience.
At the historical village, I board the trolley bus, and as we pass at least 40 original period buildings and employees dressed in authentic costumes, I can’t help but have flashbacks to the village’s heyday. There’s the convent school with the nuns’ living quarters, the general store, the housing districts and, of course, the pulp mill and power plant, built at the base of the Ouiatchouan Falls. Really, though, what drives home for me that this was a “real” place is when I hear the now-old men and women, who lived here as kids, share their fond memories in a video.
My overnight accommodation is in a restored house, one of the most tasteful mixes of modern amenities with period touches I’ve ever seen. There’s so much historical energy here that, as I lay my head on the pillow that night, I can’t help but wonder if I’ll be awoken by a ghost, perhaps the visionary founder, Damase Jalbert, wandering through my room.
Without a doubt, the Saguenay Lac Saint-Jean region is a place that has left me wanting to deepen our relationship.
IF YOU GO:
Saguenay has its own airport, Bagotville. You can also fly into Québec City and rent a car to make the 2.25 hours drive.
For more info: https://tourisme.saguenay.ca/en
Chalets sur le Fjord: www.chalets-sur-le-fjord.com
Le Pulperie de Chicoutimi Regional Museum: www.pulperie.com/en/
Val-Jalbert: www.valjalbert.com/en/
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