Panneau d'interprétation de Sainte-Croix

You are currently in the first central point of the lordship, located in the hollow of the cove of Sainte-Croix. Eastbound, we find, from 1754, a first flour mill activated by the fall of the “Petit-Sault”. However, we quickly see the relevance of developing the parish above the cliff, which is more favorable to agriculture.

Photo: The banal seigneurial mill was built by the Ursulines in 1754. One can notice the picturesque wooden lighthouse in the foreground. (Heritage and history of the seigneuries of Lotbinière, collection of the Sainte-Croix cultural heritage committee, no 1371).

For more than seventy-five years, the name of “Ste-Croix” was well known of on the St. Lawrence River. Four ships have successively displayed this name referring to the place of construction of the first two boats built here. The first was launched around 1850 to act as a shuttle between Sainte-Croix, Lévis and Quebec.

Photo: The last Ste-Croix steamer built in 1883 accommodates several passengers with its large dimensions (39.1 m long, 8.5 m wide). It weighs 363 tonnes. (Heritage and history of the seigneuries of Lotbinière, no 1175).

From the end of the 17th century, eel was fished in the area. We deliver “door to door” in the region, but we also market it in Quebec City and Montreal. On good fishing days, up to 3000 eels can be caught per tide in the fall. This practice continued until the turn of the 1970s with the Boisvert family.

Photo: Eel fishing by Napoleon Bergeron accompanied by the young Alfred Lauzé around 1935. (Heritage and history of the seigneuries of Lotbinière, Sainte-Croix cultural heritage committee fonds, no 1745).

It was at Pointe-Platon that the rich history of commercial navigation on the Lotbinière coast began, since Pierre- Gustave Joly was the instigator of the first organized maritime link in the region. An influential businessman, the lord saw the opportunity to exploit a highly sought after and ubiquitous primary resource on his lands. A prosperous timber trade is developing as well as an entire regional economy.

Photo: Painting by Sir Henri-Gustave Joly illustrating Pointe-Platon and its wharf. The family estate at Pointe Platon, circa 1868. Note that the buildings were originally painted red until the end of the 19th century. (Domaine Joly-De Lotbinière collection).