Saint-François-du-Lac, Quebec

Saint-François-du-Lac
Municipality

Town hall

Location within Nicolet-Yamaska RCM
Saint-François-du-Lac

Location in southern Quebec

Coordinates: 46°04′N 72°50′W / 46.067°N 72.833°WCoordinates: 46°04′N 72°50′W / 46.067°N 72.833°W[1]
Country  Canada
Province  Quebec
Region Centre-du-Québec
RCM Nicolet-Yamaska
Constituted December 31, 1997
Government[2][3]
  Mayor Georgette Critchley
  Federal riding Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour
  Prov. riding Nicolet-Bécancour
Area[2][4]
  Total 83.40 km2 (32.20 sq mi)
  Land 64.31 km2 (24.83 sq mi)
Population (2011)[4]
  Total 1,957
  Density 30.4/km2 (79/sq mi)
  Pop 2006-2011 Decrease 2.2%
  Dwellings 1,127
Time zone EST (UTC−5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s) J0G 1M0
Area code(s) 450 and 579
Highways Route 132
Route 143
Website www.saint-francois-du-lac.ca

Saint-François-du-Lac is a community in the Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality of Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2011 Census was 1,957. It is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Saint-François rivers, at the edge of Lac Saint-Pierre (hence its name, "Saint-François of the lake").

Saint-François-du-Lac faces the town of Pierreville from across the Saint-François River, and lies at the junction of Route 132 and Route 143.

History

This was founded as a Jesuit mission village during the colonial years. The community was called St.-Francois-de-Sales or Odanak. Indians from the community, which included refugees from wars with English colonists, participated in many raids, some of them organized and led by French military men, against English colonial settlements in New England in the aftermath of King Philip's War.

Father Rale's War

Raid on Arrowsic (1722)

During Father Rale's War, on September 10, 1722, in conjunction with Father Rale at Norridgewock, 400 or 500 St. Francis (Odanak, Quebec) and Mi'kmaq Indians prepared their attack on Arrowsic, Maine.

Raid on Arrowsic (1723)

In the summer of 1723, Norridgewocks and their 250 Indian allies from St. Francis prepared a second attack against Arrowsic, Maine.[5] After Father Rale's War, Abenaki arrived from Norridgewock, Maine.

Raid on St. Francois (1759)

The village and buildings were burned in an attack by Rogers' Rangers, an irregular British provincial force, during the Seven Years' War (also known as the French and Indian War) on October 4, 1759.

Odanak was later re-established as an Indian reserve for Abenaki next to the village of Saint-Francois-du-Lac.

Demographics

Population

Population trend:[6]

Census Population Change (%)
2011 1,957 Decrease 2.2%
2006 2,002 Increase 2.1%
Boundary change 1,961 Decrease 0.8%
2001 1,976 Decrease 1.2%
Merger (+) 2,001 Increase 45.3%
1996 1,095 Increase 7.5%
1991 1,019 N/A

(+) Amalgamation of the Parish and the Village of Saint-François-du-Lac on December 31, 1997.

Language

Mother tongue language (2006)[7]

Language Population Pct (%)
French only 1,935 97.97%
English only 30 1.52%
Both English and French 0 0.00%
Other languages 10 0.51%

See also

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saint-François-du-Lac (Québec).