Les Escoumins, Quebec

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Panorama of Les Escoumins, PQ taken 2006 January 1 from the Pointe-de-la-Croix (ie from the east looking west). It shows the main geographical feature of the area, from left to right (south to north): hill, commercial centre, the conspicous brown church followed by the elementary school and residential area. The prominent (frozen) bay des Escoumins is in the foreground.

Les Escoumins is a village on the shore of the Saint Lawrence River in the Haute Cote Nord region of the province of Quebec, Canada.

[edit] History

Founded in 1846 to exploit the local forest, logs were floated on the Riviere des Escoumins from the cutting area to the Bay des Escoumins where they were loaded in barges. The economy is now mostly based on the service sectors, especially education, health, and tourism.

[edit] Institutions

The village is currently the largest of the so-called Secteur BEST (i.e. the municipalities of Bergeronnes, Escoumins, Sacre-Coeur, Tadoussac). It holds an hospital (The Centre de Sante des Nord-Cotiers, previously known as Hopital St-Alexandre), an Indian Reservation (Essipit, a montagnais community), the Poste de Pilotage des Laurentides (part of the St-Lawrence Seaway), and is an internationally known scuba diving site. An FM radio station, CHME, is located within Essipit.

This poster appeared during the summer of 2006. It reads L'Est-du-Quebec et la Côte-Nord demandent des Quais en bon Ētat (The South and North Shore are seeking wharves in good condition)

Land Communication is currently restricted to the Route 138; a ferry service between Les Escoumins and Trois-Pistoles was discontinued in 2005 because of a safety issue at the Quai des Escoumins.