Aguanish, Quebec

Aguanish
Municipality
River[1] and Municipality
Aguanish Location in Côte-Nord region of Quebec
Coordinates: 50°13′N 62°05′W / 50.217°N 62.083°W / 50.217; -62.083[2]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Côte-Nord
Regional county municipality	Minganie
Settled	1849
Constituted	January 1, 1957
Government [3]
• Mayor	Léonard Labrie
• Federal riding	Manicouagan
• Prov. riding	Duplessis
Area [3][4]
• Total	680.61 km2 (262.78 sq mi)
• Land	532.04 km2 (205.42 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[4]
• Total	224
• Density	0.4/km2 (1/sq mi)
• Pop (2016–21)	8.6%
• Dwellings	152
Time zone	UTC-5 (Within the AST legislated time zone boundary but observes EST[5])
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G0G 1A0
Area codes	418 and 581
Highways	R-138
Website	www.aguanish.org

Aguanish is a municipality located on the banks of the Aguanish River, on the north shore of Jacques Cartier Strait,^[6] in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in Minganie Regional County Municipality, Côte-Nord region, Quebec, Canada.^[1][2]

In addition to Aguanish itself, the municipality also includes the hamlet of L'Île-Michon, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) to the East.^[7][8]

Aguanish has barely 300 inhabitants, the Aguanishoises and Aguanishois live in one of the smallest municipalities in Quebec.^[9]

• Aguanish in the morning mist
• 
  Fishing boats at the dock
• 
  Traps for crab fishing^[10]
• 
  Family residence, cording firewood (logs) for next winter
• 
  Vegetable garden: carrots, radishes, potatoes

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.^[7][11]

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.^[12]

• L'Île Michon (Hamlet), Jacques Cartier Strait, Gulf of St. Lawrence
• 
  Coastline, rocky base and beach
• 
  Islands, islets, rocks, cays and reefs
• 
  Vieux Quai Street

Aguanish is named after the Goynish or Aguanish River (ancien name Aguanus River), that flows through and drains into the Strait of Jacques Cartier, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence right at the village. This 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).^[2]

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.^[13][14]

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.^[15]

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.^[2] 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.^[2]

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Aguanish, Quebec[21]
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2016		245		240	12.7%	98.0%		0	100.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		5	n/a%	2.0%
2011		280		275	5.2%	98.2%		5	n/a%	1.8%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	100.0%	0.0%
2006		300		290	13.4%	96.7%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		10	n/a%	3.3%
2001		335		335	10.7%	100.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%
1996		375		375	n/a	100.0%		0	n/a	0.0%		0	n/a	0.0%		0	n/a	0.0%

Economic activity primarily centers on crab and salmon fishing.^[10]

By Route 138, according to Google Map, Aguanish is 125 kilometres (78 mi) from Havre-Saint-Pierre and 341 kilometres (212 mi) from Sept-Îles.^[12]

Until the arrival of The Whale Route (Route 138)^[22][23] 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.^[24] 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.^[25]

• Aguanish River
• List of municipalities in Quebec

• Duhaime Gérard (dir.), 2001, Historical Atlas of Quebec. The North, inhabitants and changes. Quebec, University Press, Laval - 227 p. (French)
• Official website , Welcome to Aguanish
• Father Victor Lachance, Aguanish, a little history..., important dates, Association des Familles Laroche et Rochette Inc. (French)
• Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Maze to the Aguanish, a 680 kilometre canoe trip through the wilds of Labrador and Quebec, 2021