F OCUSONTHE G ASPÉ :AR ICH H ISTORYTO D ISCOVER $5 Quebec VOL 5, NO. 7 JAN-FEB 2010 HeritageNews Mi’kmaq Gifts First Nation heritage embraces sharing, respect and tradition Anglo-Normans on the Coast Charles Robin, chaloupes and the perils of the truck system Outpost of Empire Early French attempts at year-round settlement QUEBEC HERITAGE NEWS Quebec CONTENTS eritageNews H DITOR E Word from the Vice-President 3 ROD MACLEOD Gaspé in the off season Sandra Stock PRODUCTION DAN PINESE Safe Harbours 5 PUBLISHER Two centuries of English presence on the Coast David J McDougall THE QUEBEC ANGLOPHONE HERITAGE NETWORK Mi’kmaq Gifts 10 400-257 QUEEN STREET Sharing and respect in First Nation heritage Cynthia Dow SHERBROOKE (LENNOXVILLE) QUEBEC Outpost of Empire 12 J1M 1K7 Early French attempts at year-round settlement David Lee PHONE 1-877-964-0409 Stamp of their Bailiwick 16 (819) 564-9595 The Channel Islands link to Canada’s east coast Yves Frenette FAX (819) 564-6872 CORRESPONDENCE Owe my soul 19 [email protected] Reflections on the Jersey truck system Yves Frenette WEBSITE David J MacDougall WWW.QAHN.ORG King of Cod 20 Netting year-round settlers was merchant’s legacy Betty LeMaistre PRESIDENT KEVIN O’DONNELL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Barques, Brigantines and Brigs 23 DWANE WILKIN Shipbuilding in the Gaspé Kim Harrison HERITAGE PORTAL COORDINATOR MATTHEW FARFAN OFFICE MANAGER Sea Birds 25 KATHY TEASDALE Gaspé schooners in the age of sail Kevin O’Donnell Doctor Commander 27 Quebec Heritage Magazine is produced six Remembering William Wakeham Andrew J Gilker times yearly by the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN) with the support of The Department of Canadian Heritage Knots in the Network 29 and Quebec’s Ministere de la Culture et History and culture take a back seat to nature Pierre Rastoul des Communications. QAHN is a non-profit and non-partisan umbrella organization whose mission is to help Events Listings 31 advance knowledge of the history and culture of English-speaking society in Quebec. Canada Post Publication Mail Agreement Number 405610004. ISSN 17707-2670 Cover: “Dry dock at the Paspébiac National Historic Site,” April 2008 Photo: Rod MacLeod 2 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2010 VICE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Gaspé in the off season by Sandra Stock pril is supposed to be spring, almost empty train. ities. The local architecture has been or at least mainly spring-like, On the second day of our stay, a maintained as vernacular, east in eastern Canada. However, few of us traveled by rented van to see coast―a good blend of local Québé- this certainly isn’t always The Rock – as in Percé Rock – the cois and New England. High moun- true as we are more likely to go directly iconic symbol of the whole area and tains are seen in the background, be- Afrom winter experiences―ice, sleet, one of the best known images of Que- hind the village of Percé. Bonaventure snowflakes, cold, very cold and ex- bec and eastern Canada as a whole, in Island with its enormous bird colonies tremely cold―to suddenly hot and a tourist promotions and information rises from the sea less than a mile be- lot of mud. On the positive side, the materials about Gaspé. It was cold yond the Rock. days are longer and there may be a bit late spring with still patchy snow cov- Percé Rock is classified geologi- of sunshine that actually feels warm. er on the rather bleak landscape. The cally as a limestone stack. It is one of Two Aprils ago, I travelled to the Atlantic was really blue under an in- the largest and most spectacular natu- Gaspé peninsula in late ral arches in the world. It April. From Montreal, it is 433 metres (1420 feet) is a fourteen hour, long, 90 metres (296 feet) overnight journey to New wide and 88 metres (289 Carlisle by train. This is feet) at its highest point. when I realized that Que- The name of course bec is extremely big and comes from the large, 15 our distances give a metre (50 foot) arch whole meaning to the (hole?) near its seaward word “far.” Not being an end. There used to be two easy sleeper, I saw Ri- arches, but one collapsed mouski at two in the on June 17, 1845. This morning and saw the sun was a result of natural rise at Matapedia. There erosion. Probably, in long were mainly conifers on geologic time, the present bleak hillsides to the left arch will also collapse and a vast rather flat Bay of Chaleur tense blue sky with the strong north- and possibly new arches will form. to the right. There aren’t many signs ern light of the coast. Although we Eventually―and this is in the Very of human habitation even after leaving passed through several small towns Big Picture―it will all erode away, the outskirts of Montreal and passing and stopped at a few interesting spots leaving a reddish limestone beach. away from the agricultural zone near like Paspébiac, still a lobster fishing At low tide, it is possible to walk the St Lawrence. It’s still an empty centre, it seemed a landscape curious- right up to the Rock along a sand spit world out there, just full of wild na- ly devoid of people. The Off Season connected to the shore. However, no- ture. for sure – no real tourists, and nearly one is allowed to climb the Rock. In As this was definitely the low, or everything commercial that caters to the early nineteenth century, local “off” season for tourism, our small them, shut. This quiet and somewhat farmers grew hay on the top of the party of about eleven people had the lonely atmosphere perhaps empha- Rock but after someone fell off to his train to ourselves, especially after sized the dramatic appearance (finally, death, access to the top was no longer Rivière du Loup. No-one got on after around a headland) of The Rock. Not permitted. Quebec City and there hadn’t been many natural wonders require capital There is an element of danger many of us starting from Montreal letters, but Percé Rock certainly mer- around these kind of formations, even anyway. The food was surprising good its them. Unlike so many manmade in recent times. In 1990, at London and the railway staff really friendly and natural “attractions,” either his- Arch, Port Campbell, Victoria, a simi- and helpful – easy enough when there toric or natural, Percé Rock doesn’t lar sea stack in Australia, the collapse were so few passengers! Most of my disappoint and, at least to me, was of one of two arches, led to this for- fellow travellers slept (not me) but, in much more impressive than I had ex- mation no longer being attached to the my favour, neither did I suffer from pected. The area around it has been shore. Two tourists were stranded on the slight motion sickness that many kept open and only has a few, discrete the top and had to be rescued by heli- felt, as we were rattling around on an tourist information or restaurant facil- copter. Percé Rock in spring: Photo by Sandra Stock 3 QUEBEC HERITAGE NEWS Percé Rock was formed in the De- vonian period of the Paleozoic era, 416 to 359 million years ago. It was built up from trillions of ancient sea creatures that died to become calcium based sediments. There are fossils of trilobites and other animals embedded in the Rock. It was the Devonian peri- od when fish-like creatures first strug- gled up on to the land and developed lungs and legs. So the Rock is really, really old and has been buffeted about through plate tectonics, continental drift, ices ages and so on. It has the air of an ancient sea creature that has en- dured, and still marks the boundary between sea and land. Sandra Stock is the past president of Morin Heights Historical Association whereas here your youth would be wast- pretty penny. I hope you will be more and a current Vice President of the ed. There isn’t a cent to be made, and we prudent than that. You have my counsel Quebec Anglophone Heritage Net- are continually harassed. Furthermore, always before your eyes. Don’t forget it work.(QAHN). you would undoubtedly have had to run then. Keep in the best of company al- for your life. How often would you re- ways. You will be better for it. Do not gret not having taken my advice. That is mix with vulgar people and do not tire *************** why I urge you to take it; and as long as of helping Mr. Day on a Sunday, as has there is money to be earned over there, been your habit. You will be better for it. do not return home unless we are at Remember me to Mr François Gal- Beware those nasty girls peace, of which there is no sign. I my- lie. He is a good man He would do well to self would like to be well-paid in Cana- marry over there. He would be better off than Translated from the original “Jerry” da. I wouldn’t return here. No need to in Jersey, a thousand times. To Mr Jacques language, this letter is from the family tell anyone this. Keep it a secret. Ahier, as well. If you see Mr. LeMaistre, do archives of New Carlisle resident Lyn- I am not sending you anything. Per- not fail to greet him for me. Captain Robin, den Béchervaise.