http://ameriquefrancaise.org/en/ Articles récents Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT en-ca Fort St. Joseph was one of the most important eighteenth-century frontier outposts in the western Great Lakes region. Initially established by the French as a mission in the 1680s, the site became a hub of religious, military, and commercial activity for local Native American populations and European colonial powers for nearly a century. While late nineteenth-century collectors knew the location of the site, it became forgotten until its rediscovery in 1998 by Western Michigan University archaeologists.  Subsequent investigations and public involvement have resurrected the community’s interest in its French heritage.   ]]> Tue, 08 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT     Joseph Montferrand, dit Favre, better known as Jos Montferrand, is still considered one of the greatest figures of French Canadian legend. The hero is referred to by many different names across North America, including Montferan, Muffraw, Mouffreau, Mufferoin, Maufree and Murphy. While he is closely associated with the Ottawa Valley, this lumberjack, log driver, foreman, raftsman and strongman was not born and raised there. He did, however, spend half of his life in the region, drawn by the forest industry that proved to be the economic force of the Ottawa Valley in the 20th century. It was also in this region that he became a character of legend; today, there is no way to distinguish his real exploits from those that are purely folklore.  ]]> Tue, 08 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT The corridor formed by the Lachine Canal and the surrounding area was recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1996. The canal, which opened in 1825, allowed for the navigation of the tumultuous waters of the upper Saint Lawrence River, and played a major role in the development of the western part of the country. Its strategic position between the eastern and western portions of the Saint Lawrence led to the most diversified concentration of industrial establishments in the country. These factors also favored development of the Port of Montréal, making the city Canada’s first metropolis.     ]]> Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT The schooner Saint-André was built in 1956 at La Malbaie, in Charlevoix County, by master carpenter Philippe Lavoie, one of the last schooner builders of the Saint Lawrence. Its owner, Captain Fernand Gagnon, engaged in coastal trading on the Saint Lawrence, mainly between Montreal and Sept-Îles, until 1976. At that time wooden schooners were replaced by metal ships, which were much larger, more profitable and better adapted to winter navigation. The Saint-André, one of the last witnesses to Quebec's particular long maritime tradition, was classified as a cultural property in 1978. Recently restored, it is conserved at the Charlevoix Maritime Museum, near the shores where it was born.    ]]> Fri, 27 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT The Pointe-la-Renommée (Gaspé) lighthouse bears witness to Quebec’s maritime history. Beginning in 1880, the wooden lighthouse guided navigators in the region. The first maritime wireless telegraphy station in Canada was then established there in 1904. Three years later, a second, innovative light tower dominated the point. What was unusual about it? It was built of prefabricated cast-iron components. Today, the Pointe-à-la-Renommée heritage site offers visitors a representation of the fascinating history of this point and this lighthouse station. Visitors can learn about the way of life and traditions of the families of lighthouse keepers and maritime wireless telegraph operators. They will also discover that, to preserve this lighthouse, it was moved to the Port of Quebec in 1978. Later, the activism of a citizens’ committee from the village of L’Anse-à-Valleau, convinced of the importance of this key element of their heritage, led to its return to its original location in 1997.  ]]> Sat, 21 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT For more than two centuries, French-speaking people have been in British Columbia. Francophone members of the Mackenzie and Fraser expeditions crossed the Rockies on the way to the Pacific. Later, voyageurs working in the fur trade settled in various parts of the province over the course of the nineteenth century. From 1909 on, the Maillardville community has been an example of the role played by French Canadians in development of the province. Several hundred of them came to British Columbia, recruited to work in a sawmill on the banks of the Fraser River east of Vancouver. At that time, Fraser Mills was a small company town surrounded by forest. Within a few years, a village including a church, a convent, a school, a post office, a police and fire station, and a number of businesses had replaced the dense forest north of the sawmill. The francophone village of Maillardville was born, and would go through many changes over the decades.     ]]> Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT Designated a national historic site by the Government of Canada in 1974, the Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse, several kilometres east of Rimouski, was recognized “because of its historic role as an important pilotage service centre” and “because it was an important beacon for navigation on the gulf and river”. With this designation, the centre became a memorial site and it has continued to evolve over the 35 years of its existence, as various stakeholders have identified and developed a sense of ownership in it. A notable addition to the Pointe-au-Père Lighthouse was a museum, providing a venue for assembling and displaying in their original setting collections mainly associated with the maritime history of the Lower St. Lawrence and Quebec.    ]]> Wed, 18 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT Tadoussac, lying at the confluence of the Saguenay and Saint Lawrence rivers, possesses a rich natural and cultural heritage. Originally a site for trade between Amerindian nations, it was later frequented by Basque, Breton and Norman fishermen. Its first permanent settlements were built in the first third of the seventeenth century. Tadoussac became New France's most important port, and the main trading post of the huge Domaine du Roi. Later, with industrialization and development of the region, its economic and touristic value grew. With its magnificent countryside, natural resources and history, Tadoussac makes its mark on land and on sea, as seen by the numerous heritage events still taking place today.    ]]> Tue, 10 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT   Located near Prairie du Rocher in the state of Illinois, Fort de Chartres is the only stone fort constructed by the French in the heart of the North American continent. Three forts were consecutively built between 1720 and 1755, bearing witness to the French colonial empire established in the Mississippi basin during the XVIIIth century. Abandoned for many decades, it was during the wave of historical site development in the first half of the XXth century that the state of Illinois partially rebuilt it to perpetuate the memory of the French presence in the region.    ]]> Wed, 21 Mar 2012 04:00:00 GMT Saint-Roch began its life as a working class quarter, the first outside Quebec City’s walls. For many years the most prosperous and populous part of the city, it was also home to much of the francophone community. From the mid 19th century to the late 1950s, Saint-Roch was Quebec City’s commercial, industrial and manufacturing centre. Today, with its rich architectural heritage and creative, resourceful population, Saint-Roch is the living legacy of four centuries of urban history, a testimony to the massive effort to save, restore, and bring new life to the city’s urban core.     ]]> Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT