Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc is a parish municipality of the Maskinongé Regional county municipality (MRC de Maskinongé), in Middle-Mauricie, in Quebec.

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc is the last relay village before reaching the southwest side of La Mauricie National Park; starting from the village of Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc, take Chemin St-François to access this entrance to the national park.

Its population increases seasonally in a significant way, as well as a floating population. This locality is crossed by road 351 which connects Shawinigan to Yamachiche, forming a semi-circle facing north.

History
The Catholic parish of Saint-Mathieu was founded as a service in 1872. Saint-Mathieu is one of the four evangelists. The civil erection of Saint-Mathieu-du-Lac-Bellemare was formalized in 1887. In 1998, the municipality was renamed Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc, following the creation of the Mauricie National Park in 1970.

The church was built in 1913 on the current site. In 1918, the village school was destroyed by fire. In 1919, a major forest fire surrounded the village, which escaped unscathed. The covered bridge was erected in 1936 over the Shawinigan River.

A disaster destroyed the church and half of the village on September 24, 1948; 21 families lost their homes and 4 stores there. Thanks to the development of route 351 and Chemin Saint-François, the resort is experiencing significant development. The establishment of La Mauricie National Park in the early 1970s greatly strengthens the recreational tourism vocation of the locality.

Geography
The village of Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc is boxed in between the surrounding mountains formed in the Precambrian era. During the last ice age, a thick cover of ice (estimated to be 1 to 2 km thick) covered the region, leveling the relief, subsiding the earth's crust and carving out valleys. Debris from the earth's crust was then carried far south by glaciers. However, as it melted, this glacial crust left much debris in the area.

An example of this ice age debris is the Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc esker, a geological phenomenon that consists of an elongated mound stretching 7.5 kilometres with an average width of 76 metres. The route of this esker begins on the north shore of Lake Goulet and passes to the bottom of the lake. This geological strip created the island at Lac Brûlé. This esker continues along Chemin Saint-Édouard to stretch to Lake Trudel towards the centre of the village; in passing, this esker separates Lake Bellemare into two parts. It creates two peninsulas which meet at the bottom of the lake. The route of this esker passes through Lac Vert. In the end, the route of this esker ends at Gareau lakes. The route of route 351 passes over this esker, that is to say between the small and the large Gareau lake. An esker is a rather rare geological phenomenon present in some regions of Quebec.

The municipality covers in the northern part of the MRC de Maskinongé; it is the second largest municipality in the MRC, behind Saint-Alexis-des-Monts. It also has the second smallest population density with 6.1 inhabitants/km².

The territory of the municipality has 80 lakes covering a total of 1,165 hectares. The Shawinigan River is the main waterway in municipal territory. Sport fishing for brown trout and rainbow trout is popular on this stream thanks to regular stocking. A significant effort is being made by the municipality to protect the riparian strips.

Economy
The main economic activities are silviculture and recreational tourism (La Mauricie National Park, resort, camping, hiking trails, observation of flora and fauna, maple groves, mountain biking, snowmobiles, cycling, hunting and fishing).

Get in
The village of Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc is accessible by road, snowmobile and all-terrain vehicles.

By car

 * From Montreal (, 2 hr 6 min). Take Highway 40 (north shore) eastbound, to Trois-Rivières; take highway 55 (northbound) to Yamachiche; take route 153 (northbound) through the village of Saint-Barnabé, then route 351, passing through the village of Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, to the village of Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc.
 * From Quebec City (, 2 hr 2 min). Take Highway 40 (westbound), to Champlain; take route 359 (northbound) through the village of Lac-à-la-Tortue; take route 153 (west); take Autoroute 55 (southbound) to Chemin de la Vallée-du-Parc; take the Chemin des Pommiers (westbound); take the Main road (south direction); take route 351 (westbound) to the village of Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc.

Go next

 * – A wildlife reserve in Quebec dedicated to the conservation, development and use of wildlife as well as the practice of recreational activities. This reserve is north of Saint-Alexis-des-Monts, Saint-Paulin and Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc.
 * – Being the last village-relay before the Mastigouche wildlife reserve, Saint-Alexis-des-Monts is an important centre of recreational and tourist activities.
 * – Its territory is crossed by the Shawinigan river.
 * – Town of the Moyen-Mauricie with an industrial, residential, commercial, public services and recreational tourism vocation.
 * – Municipality of the western suburbs of Shawinigan.
 * – Municipality of the western suburbs of Shawinigan.