Aguanish, Quebec

Toponymy

Aguanish is named after the Goynish or Aguanish River (formerly Aguanus River), that flows through the village and drains into the Strait of Jacques Cartier of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The word, of Innu origin, came from aguanus, in turn from akwanich, from the roots akwan (shelter) and ich (small). It has undergone many different spellings, including: Goines (17th century); Guanis, Goinis (1744 map by Bellin); Goynish (1776 map by Carver); Agwanus, Aguanus or Agouanus (maps of the 19th century).

History

The main prehistoric cultures, called "archaic," were based on three sets of groups coming from the southwest, from as far away as the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence River, those coming from the great plateaus of the interior and James Bay, and those from Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and New England.

From the 14th to the 17th century, the presence of Europeans in the regions of the North Shore and the Gulf of St. Lawrence began with the periodic visits of the Basques and Breton fishermen.

In 1831, the Hudson's Bay Company opened the Nabisipi trading post (also spelled Nabaysepie, Nabaysippi, or Nabaysipieat) at the mouth of the Nabisipi River (just west of the current town site). After a brief closure, it was reopened in 1832, and operated until circa 1860.

The first European inhabitants, fishermen from the Magdalen Islands, settled in the area circa 1849. They were joined in 1875 by people from Kégashka (today Kegaska) and from Nabisipi River. Until the advent of World War II (1939-1945) the growth of the population occurred in concert with the development of the pulp and paper industry.

The place was incorporated as a municipality in 1957.

L'Île Michon

The hamlet of L'Île Michon is located opposite the island of the same name, 700 m from the coast and 3.5 km downstream from Aguanish, on the coast of the Jacques Cartier Strait, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

According to certains sources, Île-Michon was founded by Jean Michon, a craftsman who landed on the island opposite the village to build fishing boats.

Demographics

Population

| 1961 |560 | 1966 |638 | 1971 |550 | 1976 |530 | 1981 |487 | 1986 |408 | 1991 |402 | 1996 |380 | 2001 |343 | 2006 |303 | 2011 |278 | 2016 |245 | 2021 |224

Language

Economy

Economic activity primarily centers on crab and salmon fishing.

Transportation

By Route 138, according to Google Map, Aguanish is 125 km from Havre-Saint-Pierre and 341 km from Sept-Îles.

Until the arrival of The Whale Route (Route 138) in 1996, a regular means of access to the area was the boat service maintained during the navigation season by Clarke Steamship Company, Ltd, sailing from Montreal and Quebec. Also, numerous lakes of the area provide suitable landings for floatplane based at Mingan and Havre-Saint-Pierre. Canoe travel is difficult in the region and require several portages.

References

References

1. (11 April 1985). "Aguanish River - Toponymy". Commission de Toponymy Quebec.
2. {{mamrot. 98030
4. "Aguanish, Municipalité (MÉ) Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". Government of Canada - Statistics Canada.
5. National Research Council Canada - [http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/services/inms/time-services/time-zones.html Time Zones & Daylight Saving Time] {{webarchive. link. (2010-03-17)
6. "The Explorers Jacques Cartier 1534-1542". Canadian Museum of History.
7. (25 January 2023). "Aguanish and Île-Michon sector". Côte-Nord Tourism.
8. (2024). "Aguanish: an invitation to take the time". Municipality of Aguanish.
9. (1968-12-05). "Aguanish". Commission de Toponymie Quebec.
10. (2013). "The Gulf Historical Society".
11. (2024). "The prehistory of Quebec". The archeology dissemination network.
12. "Hudson's Bay Company: Nabisipi". Archives of Manitoba - Keystone Archives Descriptive Database.
13. (25 February 1976). "Michon Island, toponymy". Commission de Toponymy Quebec.
14. "Aguanish history". Municipality of Aguanish.
15. [[Canada 1996 Census. 1996]], [[Canada 2001 Census. 2001]], [[Canada 2006 Census. 2006]], [[Canada 2011 Census. 2011]] census
16. (2024). "Municipality of Aguanish de la Côte-Nord". Grand Quebec.
17. (2010-05-21). "Network of observation sites along the Whale Route (Route 138)".
18. (2024). "Whales of the St. Lawrence river".
19. (7 June 2014). "The Clarke Steamship Co Ltd".
20. (1959). "Preliminary report on the Aguanish region, Saguenay Electoral District". Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources - Government of Quebec.