Canoeing in Canada – Historically Speaking
This excerpt is taken from “The Maritime Provinces: a handbook for travellers” by Moses Foster Sweetser. It was written in the late 1880s as a guide for travellers who wanted to tour “the most interesting portions of Eastern British America” without a professional guide! Here’s a short passage about a canoe trip to the Temiscouata region depicted in the postcard to your left.
From Edmundston the Temiscouata Railway leaves the St. John, and ascends the W.shore of the Madawaska. But few settlements are passed, and at 12 M from Edmundston the Province of Quebec is entered. About 25 M. From Edmundston the road reaches the foot of the picturesque Temiscouata Lake, where there is a small village. The road is parallel with the water, but at a considerable distance from it, until near the upper part, and pretty views are afforded form various points where it overlooks the lake.
Temiscouata is an Indian word meaning “Winding Water,” and the lake is 30 M. Long by 2-3 M. Wide. The scenery is very pretty, and the clear deep waters contain many fish, the best of which are the tuladi, or great gray trout, which sometimes weighs over 12 pounds. There are also whitefish and burbot. Visitors to the lake usually stop at the Lake-Side House, where canoes may be obtained. From the W., Temiscouata receives the Cabineau river, the outlet of Long Lake (15 by 2 M.); and on the E. is the Tuladi River, which rises in the highlands of Rimouski and flows down through a chain of secluded and rarely visited lakelets. The chief settlement on Temiscouta Lake is the French Catholic hamlet of Notre Dame du Lac which was founded since 1861 and has 180 inhabitants. Fort Ingles commanded the lake, and had a garrison of 200 men as late as 1850.
At the mouth of the Tuladi, 285 barrels of white fish were taken in the fall run of 1878. 1 M. up are falls from which the still Tuladi may be ascended for 16 M. to the Forks, where the fishing is very good. Deer, bears, caribou, and other game abound in these vast untrodden forests.
A favourite trip for sportsmen leads from Edmundston (by carriage) up the Madawaska to Griffin’s, 16 N., then a portage of 2 1/2 N. To Mud Lake’ then a long and delightful canoe-descent to Fourth Squa-took Lake; then down in Third Squa-took, from whose shore rises the noble-viewing Squa-took Peak; and then down to the Forks, and along the Tuladi River to Temiscouata Lake.
The road from Temiscouata Lake to Riviere du Loup is 40-50 M. long and descends through a wild region into which few settlers have advanced … (to continue reading, click on the red book)
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