Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain

Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain is a picturesque locality with a great history since the beginning of the seigneury of Sainte-Anne. This locality is located in Basse-Mauricie, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, in the regional county municipality (MRC) of Les Chenaux, in Mauricie, in Quebec.

This locality has a great agricultural, forestry and maple growing history. Its maple groves attract thousands of visitors each spring for maple activities: meals at the sugar shack, country activities, and maple products.

Formerly, some segments of the course of the Rivière-à-Veillette and the Rivière Charest were known to create spring floods or during heavy rains. These floods damaged farmland, some buildings, and especially roads.

Economy
The main economic activities of the Saint-Prosper used to be agriculture and forestry. The operation of sugar bushes dates from the beginning of the colonization of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain. In the 21st century, the economy is centered on agriculture, forestry and recreational tourism activities (resorts, maple groves, mountain biking, snowmobiling, etc.).

Many maples grow in the moraine of the northern part of the territory of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain; thus, several sugar bushes are in operation, which offer meals and the sale of maple products.

History
The parish of Saint-Prosper was canonically erected in 1850 by its detachment from Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade and Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan. The municipality was incorporated civilly in 1855. In 2010, the name of the municipality became Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain.

Geography
Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain is part of the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, in the vast plain of the St. Lawrence. The hydrographic slope of the Saint-Prosper territory is mainly part of the Saint-Anne River; however, a small area on the border of Saint-Stanislas and Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan is part of Batiscanie.

Flowing on, the Sainte-Anne River flows on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River in the administrative regions of: The lower part of this river has international popularity for ice fishing for Atlantic tomcod. The lower course of this river passes near the limits of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain.
 * Capitale-Nationale: in the MRC La Jacques-Cartier and MRC Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier and MRC de Portneuf;
 * Mauricie: MRC Les Chenaux (municipality of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade).

Taking its source at Lake Charest in Notre-Dame-de-Montauban, the Charest River flows south on crossing the St-Paul, St-Achile and Sainte-Anne rows in Saint-Ubalde. Then, its course descends towards the south-east (almost parallel to the Batiscan river) and crosses 16 lots in the first Price range in the eastern section of Saint-Adelphe where its course becomes serpentine until its mouth. After having descended the moraine for more than a kilometre in the northeast range of the municipality of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, the river enters Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain following the foot of the moraine. Then its course forks through the agricultural zone of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain, to flow into the delta of the Sainte-Anne-River, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérad].

Get in
The village of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain is accessible by road, snowmobile and all terrain vehicles.

By car

 * From Montreal (. Time: 2 hr 41 min. From Montreal, take highway 40 (north shore) heading east, to Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade; take route 159 (north) to the village of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain.
 * From Quebec City (. Time: 1 hr 10 min. From Quebec City, take highway 40 westbound to Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade; take route 159 (northbound) to the village of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain.