Labrieville and its short story

The development of the Bersimis River (now named Betsiamites) in 1953 helped to meet the strong growth in energy demand in the major centers of the province.

The Bersimis 1 power plant was commissioned in 1956 and the Bersimis 2 power plant in 1959, six years after the start of works.

The power plants on the Bersimis river allowed for the creation of multiple jobs and the electrical supply for the rest of Quebec. This project most importantly helped Hydro-Quebec to innovate in several fields and was a precursor for other big projects such as those on the Manicouagan, Outardes et La Grande (Baie-James) river.

A breakthrough was achieved in the electricity transport field thanks to the first ever 315 000 volts power lines in the world. This constitutes a milestone in the then young history of Hydro-Quebec.

Picture: Intake tunnel taking the water from the reservoir to the power plant.

A new permanent town is built near the construction sites. St-Maurice-de-Labrieville, named in honor of Mgr Labrie and the prime minister Maurice Duplessis, housed workers and their families. It included residential and commercial buildings: a hospital, a school, an inn, a 400 seats church, and more.

Picture: Aerial photo of Labrieville.
Source: Hydro-Quebec Archives.

Here is the type of housing that was found in St-Maurice-de-Labrieville: a block housing to accommodate workers and families. At the closure of the village, many of these buildings were acquired and moved to Forestville and are still inhabited by the people of Forestville to this day.

Source: Hydro-Québec Archives.

Although isolated from urban centers, St-Maurice-de-Labrieville offered a plethora of sports and recreation. Cinema, tennis court, poolroom, recreation room, dance, baseball, outdoor pool, bowling alley, sports center with gym, playground, etc.

Activities and social life were not lacking, even 100 kilometers in the forest.

Picture: Workers and residents of Labrieville.
Source: Hydro-Québec Archives.

Several thousand workers from all over Quebec took turns in this megaproject, which in 1954 employed nearly 5,000 employees.

Picture: Employees line up in front of the cafeterias in Labrieville.
Source: Hydro-Québec Archives.

Forestville's Little Anglican was also known as "Trinity Church". Nearly 50 years after its construction, Petite Anglicane, located in Forestville, has been converted into a museum that houses permanent and thematic exhibitions.

The first exhibition concerns the construction of hydroelectric power plants Bersimis 1 and Bersimis 2, property of Hydro-Québec and St-Maurice de Labrieville.

The second permanent exhibition tells the story of fireguards and reveals the tools used by these workers in their fight against forest fires for more than 50 years.

Visit the museum from May to August.
Admission is free!

Picture: La Petite Anglicane in 1955.