A Crossroad

In the distance, the landform of the North Shore emerges. On a clear day, upstream you can see all the way to Tadoussac and the mouth of the Saguenay River. Here, freshwater from the north mixes with saltwater from the St. Lawrence Estuary. This area is an important feeding ground for marine wildlife because of the abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton. The currents are famous for their strength.

From here, keep your eyes peeled for marine mammals.

Photo credit : Gabriel Laflamme

Around Île-aux-Basques and the Razades Islands, you can see two pinniped species (the harbour seal and the grey seal), two toothed cetacean species (the harbour porpoise and the beluga), and one baleen whale species (the minke whale).

Photo credit : Guy Boudreau

The site’s geology also warrants careful observation. The rocks beneath your feet date from the Paleozoic era, which began 600 million years ago and ended some 230 million years ago. These sedimentary rocks (argillaceous slate) slope towards the northeast. They are the same shales as those in the Appalachian range. They vary in colour from greenish-grey to red

Select the 360 ​​image for an immersive experience

360 photo credit  : Gabriel Laflamme

Île-aux-Basques lies at the crossroad of routes well-known to the Indigenous peoples. Its strategic location provided access to James Bay to the north and the Bay of Fundy to the south. The St. Lawrence was also a key route for penetrating the interior of the continent. 

The St. Lawrence Iroquoians, the Mi'kmaq from the Gaspé Peninsula, the Innu from the North Shore and the Wolastoqiyiq from this region met and bartered, each with resources from their territories on offer. There were takers for the corn, squash, tobacco, furs and other goods being traded.

Were these people also inspired by the sunsets here?

Source : museedelhistoire.ca

Illustration credit : Steve Broomer