Notre-Dame-de-Montauban

Notre-Dame-de-Montauban is a charming locality in Middle Batiscanie on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, in the regional county municipality of Mékinac. This municipality, split by the course of the Batiscan River, includes the main village of Notre-Dame-des-Anges and the village of Montauban-les-Mines.

This locality has a territory of with 800 full-time inhabitants (2021) and some seasonal residents. This municipality has several campgrounds and rental cabins. The main village of Notre-Dame-des-Anges is located at the junction of the route de La Traverse (coming from Lac-aux-Sables) and route 367 (rue Principale).

Understand
The Batiscan River flows north to south over starting at Édouard Lake in Mauricie. It flows into the St. Lawrence River at Batiscan. The main village of Notre-Dame-de-Montauban is located on the east side of a segment of this river. From 1852, the Price Brothers and Company began to harvest the forest in the Batiscan Valley. The transport of wood by flotation on the Batiscan River was abandoned in 1963.

Economy
At the end of 19th century, logging was the main driver of economic development; the course of the Batiscan river then made it possible to transport logs by flotation, following the current to the mills downstream. In the 21st century, the main economic vocations of the territory of Notre-Dame-de-Montauban are recreational and tourist activities (vacation, camping, hunting and fishing, mountain biking, snowmobiles), forestry, agriculture and certain businesses. local. Resort hamlets have developed around Lake Charest (near the village of Montauban) and Lake Georges.

History
The colonization of the territory of Notre-Dame-des-Anges began around 1870. At the end of the 19th century, its territory straddled the cantons of Chavigny (north bank of the Batiscan) and Montauban (south bank). In 1871, the settlers built a first wooden bridge. In 1872, Father Narcisse Bellenger, missionary-colonizer, designated the emerging community "colony of Notre-Dame de la Batiscan". He built the Bellenger establishment with a two-storey barn serving respectively as a reception for the settlers and a warehouse. The Bellenger-Goulet mill has been established. In 1877, the colony was renamed "Notre-Dame-des-Anges de la rivière Batiscan" at the inauguration of the first chapel which burned down twenty years later. In 1879, the parish will be designated Notre-Dame-des-Anges de Montauban. In 1880, the Bellenger-Goulet flour mill began operations. In 1908, the first chapel was burnt down.

The iron bridge spanning the Batiscan River was erected in 1909 on the same site as the first bridge; the latter had been rebuilt and renovated several times. The railway line was inaugurated in 1897.

Read
F. Chateauvert et J. Bertrand, Notre-Dame-de-Montauban a cent ans (Notre-Dame-de-Montauban is one hundred years old): 1879-1979 éditions du Centenaire, 1979.

Get in
The territory of Notre-Dame-des-Anges is accessible by road vehicle, ATV, snowmobile and even with light boats (via the Batiscan river).

By car

 * From Montreal (. Time: 2 hr 33 min. Take highway 40 (north shore) eastbound, to Trois-Rivières; Highway 55 North, to the Saint-Maurice River; Route 153 North, passing through Saint-Tite, Sainte-Thècle, Hervey-Jonction and Lac-aux-Sables, where you have to take the Chemin de la Traverse to the village of Notre-Dame-des-Anges.
 * From Quebec City. (. Time: 1 hr 25 min. Take highway 40 westbound to Grondines; then take route 363 to Rang 1 Price in Lac-aux-Sables; then rue Principale (route 367) crossing the village of Montauban-les-Mines, to the village of Notre-Dame-des-Anges.

Trails
The Quad trail (Quad trail) passes through the forest north of Lac-aux-Sables.

Do

 * Hiking in the National Trail (section Notre-Dame-de-Montauban)
 * Hiking in the National Trail (section Notre-Dame-de-Montauban)
 * Hiking in the National Trail (section Notre-Dame-de-Montauban)
 * Hiking in the National Trail (section Notre-Dame-de-Montauban)