Saint-Alban, Quebec
Saint-Alban | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 46°43′05″N 72°04′39″W / 46.71805°N 72.07761°W[4] | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Quebec |
Region | Capitale-Nationale |
RCM | Portneuf |
Settled | 1830 |
Constituted | December 31, 1991 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Deny Lépine |
• Federal riding | Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier |
• Prov. riding | Portneuf |
Area | |
• Total | 159.74 km2 (61.68 sq mi) |
• Land | 148.47 km2 (57.32 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[6] | |
• Total | 1,196 |
• Density | 8.1/km2 (21/sq mi) |
• Pop (2016-21) | 0.2% |
• Dwellings | 764 |
Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
Postal code(s) | |
Area codes | 367, 418, 581 |
Highways | R-354 |
Website | st-alban |
Saint-Alban (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃t‿albɑ̃]) is a municipality located in Portneuf RCM, Capitale-Nationale region, Quebec, Canada.[4][7]
The municipality is crossed in its southern part by the Sainte-Anne River (Les Chenaux).
Geography
[edit]With a total area of 159.58 km2, the municipality of Saint-Alban occupies third place in the territory of the RCM of Portneuf.[7]
The presence of Long Lake (Saint-Alban), Caribou, Noir, Trout, Anguille lakes and part of Clair lake (Sainte-Christine-d'Auvergne) are popular with vacationers and fishermen. In addition of Sainte-Anne River and several secondary watercourses, such as the Noire River (Sainte-Anne River tributary) and Blanche River (Saint-Casimir), bypass or cross the dairy farms, fields and forests.[4][8]
In the Sainte-Anne River gorges sector of the Portneuf Regional Natural Park, the dominant forest species are:[9]
- Thuja occidentalis Linné. — Thuya occidental. — Cèdre, Balai. — (White cedar).
- Populus tremuloides Michaux. — Peuplier faux-tremble. — Tremble. — (Aspen).
- Abies balsamea (Linné) Miller. — Sapin baumier. — Sapin. — (Balsam fir).
- Picea glauca (Moench) Voss. — Épicéa glauque. — Épinette blanche. — (White spruce).
History
[edit]More or less from 1830 to 1840, the abundance of forests and the presence of lakes, such as Clair, Long and Montauban, the Noire and Blanche rivers, and numerous streams, attracted the first settlers to the territory south and north of the Sainte-Anne River.
The new arrivals came from Lorette and the neighboring parishes of Deschambault, Grondines and Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade. Oral tradition attributes the founding of Saint-Alban, in 1829 or 1930, to François Naud from Deschambault.[3] The first colonized sector was located in the Noire River range. The bridge over the Sainte-Anne River facilitated the development of the northern sector. This bridge was located approximately at the current location of the François-Naud bridge.[10][3]
Francois Naud - In 1829, this young man from the second row of Deschambault would be the first to pass on the lands located north of the Sainte-Anne River after felling a long spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss.) tree, which fell across the river, and which served as a bridge to cross to the other side. In 1830, three or four other spruces were thrown next to the first; they were covered with pieces of logs and this was the first bridge.[2][3]
The first settlers began clearing the area around 1830. In 1851, a mill was built that led to the development of the village. In 1856, the parish was founded, followed by the post office in 1857, and the parish municipality in 1860. Its official full name was Saint-Alban-d'Alton,[12] and named after Saint Alban, the first martyr in Britain in the third century. Alton refers to its location in the geographic township of Alton, formed in 1841, and named after a town in Hampshire, England.[4]
In January 1918, the village centre separated from the parish municipality and was incorporated as the Village Municipality of Saint-Alban. In 1991, the parish and village municipalities merged again to form the new Municipality of Saint-Alban.[4]
1894 Landslide
[edit]On 27 April 1894, Canada's largest known landslide occurred in Saint-Alban.[13] Displacing 185 million cubic metres (242 million cubic yards) of rock and dirt, it made a 40-metre (130 ft) deep mark that covered 4.6 million square metres (1,100 acres).[14]
Demographics
[edit]
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Source: Statistics Canada[6][16] |
Private dwellings occupied by usual residents (2021): 582 (total dwellings: 776)[6]
Mother tongue (2021):[6]
- English as first language: 0.4%
- French as first language: 98.7%
- English and French as first language: 0.4%
- Other as first language: 0.8%
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Local government
[edit]List of former mayors since formation of current municipality:
- Deny Lépine (...–2005)
- Lynn Audet (2005–2013)
- Bernard Naud (2013–2017)
- Deny Lépine (2017–present)
See Also
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- Mariages de St-Alban (comté Portneuf) 1856-1900 (in French), compiled by Benoit Pontbriand, agronomist, 1965, 63 pages.
References
[edit]- ^ "Saint-Alban Dam, toponymy". Gouvernement of Quebec (in French). Commission de Toponymy Quebec. 6 June 1973. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
The structure, 26.5 m high and 416 m long, has a retention capacity of 1.2 million cubic meters of water.
- ^ a b "François-Naud Bridge, toponymy". Gouvernement of Quebec (in French). Commission de Toponymy Quebec. 10 October 1996. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
François Naud settled in 1829 on land north of the Sainte-Anne River. In 1830, a first wooden bridge was erected there.
- ^ a b c d "François Naud House" (PDF) (in French). Portneuf RCM - Heritage database. 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
According to oral tradition, François Naud is the pioneer and founder of the parish of Saint-Alban
- ^ a b c d e "Saint-Alban, toponymy". Gouvernement of Quebec (in French). Commission de Toponymy Quebec. 24 April 1992. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Répertoire des municipalités: Geographic code 34097". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
- ^ a b c d e "Saint-Alban, Quebec (Code 2434097) Census Profile". 2021 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
- ^ a b "Saint-Alban, odonymy" (PDF) (in French). March 2019. pp. 1 of 4. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
Downstream of the dam hydroelectric power station of Saint-Alban, a canyon formed by the Sainte-Anne River constitutes a remarkable natural phenomenon.
- ^ a b Bitzakidis, Stéfanos; S. Gagné; D. Genois; C. Paradis (April 2003). "Hydrological and multi-resource portrait of the Sainte-Anne River watershed" (PDF) (in French). CAPSA - Corporation d'aménagement et de protection de la Sainte-Anne. pp. 19 of 237. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
The river became larger and shallower, and the enormous amount of soil carried away (equivalent to natural contributions over a period of 5,000 years) began to settle 4 km upstream from the mouth to the St. Lawrence River.
- ^ "Hiking trails table, map" (PDF) (in French). Portneuf Regional Natural Park. 7 April 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ Paul Hinse. "Saint-Alban - Inventory of Portneuvois built heritage" (PDF) (in French). pp. 50, 51, 52, 53 of 248. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
Many lakes make up the north of the municipality, the most of which imposing are Lake Clair, Lake Long and Lake Montauban. The Black River and the White River, two narrow and winding waterways, as well as numerous streams, also cross Saint-Alban
- ^ Mélodie Couture-Montmeny (2024). "Committee meeting report the future of the church" (in French). Retrieved 25 November 2024.
The factory is experiencing difficulties with the maintenance and heating of the church of Saint-Alban, its future and its conservation are therefore threatened.
- ^ "Church of Saint-Alban". Heritage cultural of Quebec (in French). Quebec Religious Heritage Council. 2003. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
- ^ "History of Saint-Alban". Saint Alban (in French). City of Saint Alban. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- ^ "Landslides". Get Prepared. Public Safety Canada. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
- ^ J. W. Laverdière, Abbé (1936). "Annual report of the Quebec Bureau of Mines" (PDF). Gouvernement of Quebec. Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests. p. 33. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ "Saint-Alban, Quebec (Code 2434097) Census Profile". 2011 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. 2012. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
- ^ a b "1971 Census of Canada - Population Census Subdivisions (Historical)". Catalogue 92-702 Vol I, part 1 (Bulletin 1.1-2). Statistics Canada: 76, 139. July 1973.
External Links
[edit]- T.H. Clark and Y.Globensky 1975, Grondines Area - Geological Report 154, pp. 172
- Saint-Alban (Quebec) Official website (in French)
- Media related to Saint-Alban, Quebec at Wikimedia Commons
- Geographic data related to Saint-Alban at OpenStreetMap