The History of the Gaspésie
Various peoples influenced the history of the Gaspésie. Micmac Basque and Breton fishermen, French, Acadians, Loyalists, English and Jersey Islanders ... all have transferred their rich cultural heritage and charming accents. The story of these pioneers is told in various museums, interpretation centres, and historic sites throughout Gaspésie.
The first Gaspesians
The history of the Gaspésie began with the native Micmacs, one of the Algonquin nations, known as the "Maritime Indians".
When the first European settlers landed in Canada, the Micmacs had already been here on the peninsula for over 2,500 years. These people enjoyed a subsistence economy based on hunting and fishing. The sea was the Micmac nation's primary source of food. In the summer, groups would set up camp along the seashore, near the mouths of fish-rich rivers. But during the winter, they would have to make their way inland to hunt caribou and the other big game native to the peninsula.
The Arrival of Jacques Cartier
In 1534, two French vessels commanded by the St. Malo sailor Jacques Cartier, set out across the Atlantic Ocean to explore the recently visited lands on the other side, and rapidly took possession of them on behalf of François I, the King of France.
After sailing along the Newfoundland coast in May, and near the southern shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Jacques Cartier finally sailed into Chaleur Bay in the extreme heat of the July dog days (inspiring the present name of Chaleur (warm) Bay).
He touched land at several places along the shore of the bay to communicate with the Micmacs and establish trade relations before finally landing in Gaspé Bay. On July 24, 1534, he had erected a cross bearing the French royal coat of arms to take possession of this land on behalf of the King. This highly symbolic act marked the beginning of the French presence in North America and allowed the St. Malo explorer to appropriate the title of "Discoverer of New France".
At the time of the seasonal fishing
European settlement did not begin immediately however, since France was then simultaneously deeply involved in war with Spain, and internal political and religious conflict.
During this period, the first sailors from Normandy, Brittany, Basque Spain and La Rochelle started to fish the Gaspésie cod banks.
In the early 17th century, there were five major summer fishing posts. Matane was then one of the young colony's fur trading posts established further west along the shores of the St. Lawrence by Champlain. From that time on, trade with the native nations primarily involved the sale of furs to the French.
First settlements
The first attempts to establish permanent settlements were made in the mid-17th century.
Nicolas Denys, Pierre Denys and Denis Riverin were then granted the first seigneuries. The first permanent fishing and trading posts were set up at Percé and Mont-Louis where the fishing industry became so well developed that it was able to supply products to both New France and the mother country.
However, a number of obstacles hindered the development of the French fishery in the Gaspésie. Primary constraints included the chronic underfinancing of businesses and it was hard to attract colonists to such a harsh climate, particularly since English raids were increasing at that time. English started sending marauding vessels from their wealthy New England colonies to attack the French posts along the Gaspé shores. Attacks by Kirke in 1628, and the destruction of Percé in 1689, were devastating.
Peace and War
Due to France's chronic lack of interest in its North American colonies and the difficulties it encountered in Europe owing to the Seven Years' War, the English managed to expel their rivals once and for all from North America.
In 1758, following the fall of Louisbourg, the English were again able to raid the Gaspé coast before General Wolfe's troops seized Québec City in 1759. Cut off from the capital, Montréal was in such desperate straits that the following year, a fleet of ships set sail from Bordeaux to bring supplies and ammunition to the colony. Unfortunately, it was too late to beat the English ships that had set out to head off this last-minute salvage attempt.
The French ships took refuge in the Ristigouche estuary at the back of Chaleur Bay where they met a number of Acadians also fleeing for their lives. This did not stop the English forces from surprising them and, after several days of violent combat, sinking the two principal ships.
The development of the cod fishery
After the Conquest, the fishing industry was able to develop. New posts were established and the former seigneuries were sold to merchants to serve as fishing posts. At the time, cod was the main catch. Fishers aboard small boats used individual lines to catch the cod when it approached the shore from June to September.
Other activities, dependent on the fishery, gradually came into being and, over a short period of time, a series of shipyards were set up to build small boats, and fish salting warehouses were built. Whale fishing, in Gaspé Bay, and salmon fishing by Micmacs in Chaleur Bay's added to the expansion of this new industry that was just starting to structure itself. Nevertheless, the fishers' living conditions generally remained harsh.
Dried cod, driving the economy
In 1767, Charles Robin, a native of Jersey, arrived in Gaspésie to set up a fishing establishment at Paspébiac that was to process Gulf cod. During the 1780s, Robin would build a virtual monopoly. Ships laden with salt cod would sail for Québec City, the United States and Europe.
At that time, the Gaspésie was almost entirely self-sufficient. In 1763, it officially became a part of the "Province of Québec". However, in practice, it remained isolated, it was hard to sail up the St. Lawrence River estuary and by land, travellers had to make their way through the back-country where only canoe routes and portage trails existed.
Eventually, in response to the ever-present American threat, the government decided to build a military land link between Québec and Halifax, cutting through virgin Gaspé forests. Finished in 1832, the Kempt road linked the Métis region, on the shores of the St. Lawrence, to Chaleur Bay by way of the Matapédia Valley. This road would open the way to the region's development.
New Gaspesians
Towards the end of the French regime, the Gaspésie had only a few hundred inhabitants. Following the end of hostilities, the Chaleur Bay shoreline was colonized by the Acadians, expelled from their lands in 1755 who had taken refuge at Restigouche.
In the 1780s, they witnessed the arrival of the Loyalists, English Americans who had remained loyal to the British crown after the 13 American colonies gained their independence.
The Micmacs, Acadians, and Loyalists already in place were joined by Québecers, mostly from Québec City and the Bas-Saint-Laurent, and a handful of Irish, Scots, and Channel Islanders. Around 1850, all these communities together counted a population of less than 20,000, of whom almost half were English-speaking. The population was primarily located along Chaleur Bay, with inland areas and the north shore of the peninsula remaining almost uninhabited.
The 20th Century
Moreover, port facilities were improved and a rail link was built from the coast to Chaleur Bay by way of the Matapédia Valley. It was now possible to travel by train all the way to Gaspé. In the late 1920s, the road was finally completed from Sainte-Anne-des-Monts to Gaspé, encircling the entire peninsula and opening it to traffic.
During this period, however, the cod fishing industry began to decline; the businesses founded by Jersey Islanders Robin, LeBoutillier, Fruing and others faced a crisis. Traditional processing methods continued to be used, but buyers tastes were changing radically.
They increasingly preferred fresh or frozen products delivered by train from Nova Scotia to the Gaspé's salted, dried fish. At the same time, the fishing industry started to diversify, with the development of the lobster and herring fishery. Fishers were travelling further north to harvest their catch.
A number of Gaspesians then turned inland, taking up farming which had remained a marginal activity until then because of the harsh climate and the distance separating the Gaspé from the main trade markets. In response to Québec's rapidly growing population - families were large - agricultural communities were set up inland in areas like the Matapédia Valley.
Agriculture and forestry
However, arable land was limited. Only narrow strips along Chaleur Bay, in the Matapédia Valley, and in the Métis and Matane areas were economically suitable.
Because of the lack of markets, farming served to meet only local needs. At the turn of the century, a new industry appeared : Forestry. Until then, the forest had only provided raw material for small local shipyards, but this period saw the establishment of the lumber industry.
The wood cut in winter, in the back-country, was floated downstream in springtime log drives to sawmills located at the river mouths. The Price Company- one of the two firms that would later become the international conglomerate, Abitibi-Price - then set up a mill in the Métis region. However, most of the wood was processed in sawmills in New Brunswick or the United States.
The nation's defense
The Gaspésie had survived peacefully for over 200 years when the Second World War interrupted its serenity with a number of German U-boats (submarines) arriving to sink merchant marine vessels in the Gulf of St. Lawrence as they headed towards England.
In 1941, the Defense Ministry built a naval base in Gaspé, HMCS Fort Ramsay. This place housed 3000 men of the army, navy and the Canadian aviation. The mission of this naval base was to patrol the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to protect Allied shipping against German submarines. A powerful underwater metal net was in the way providing access between the two peninsulas of Sandy Beach and Penouille. Cannons were erected at Fort Peninsula and Prével.
The beginning of tourism
From the early days of European settlement until the great upheavals of the 1960s, the population grew rapidly.
Despite the diversified local economy, job creation failed to keep the growing labour force occupied. No longer able to count on the arrival of immigrants after the close of the 18th century, the number of English-speaking people in the Gaspésie began to decline. Today, some people, most of them French-speaking, live in the Gaspésie.
However, the exodus continues in some areas because of the lack of jobs. So the Gaspésie economy remains limited to activities involving its natural resources. The government has nevertheless made a number of economic and social interventions since the 1960s in the hope of restructuring Gaspésie society and overcoming the chronic unemployment that prevails in the region.
Since the mid-1900s, tourism has increasingly played a greater role in the life of the Gaspésie. During the summer, a "trip around the Gaspé" is now a popular destination for Québecers, Europeans and Americans who, in recent years, have begun to discover the charm and beauty of the Gaspésie landscape.
Reference : Histoire de la Gaspésie. Jules Bélanger, Marc Desjardins, Yves Frenette. 1981. Boréal Express.
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