Attractions and Tours

Lanaudière was one of the first land areas to be cleared for cultivation by the early French settlers. From 1637 to 1750, about a dozen seigneuries (lordly estates) were granted along the St. Lawrence River. Little by little, the emphasis shifted from fur trading to agriculture. "The Great Spirit" of the original pine forests still resides beneath the tobacco fields.

The Aerobic Corridor (“Corridor Aerobique”) is the Laurentians’ second longest linear park. At nearly 60 km in length, it connects Morin Heights in the south to Saint-Rémi-d'Amherst in the north. Like the 200 km “P’tit Train du Nord” trail, which runs roughly parallel, the Aerobic Corridor follows a former railway line, in this case the CN.

By the beginning of the 20th century, there were hundreds of covered bridges all across Quebec. Today the province numbers just over ninety, some built as late as the 1950s. In the Laurentians, there are six covered bridges, all in the Upper Laurentians, and all except one are well north of Mont Tremblant. In the heyday of the covered bridge, most villages had at least one; some had several. They dotted the back roads as well, crossing brooks and rivers of all sizes. Very few, however, have survived the ravages of time.

(Continued from Part 1)

During the 20s and 30s, down hill skiing was all the rage and the P'tit Train du Nord played a pivotal role in opening up the Laurentians as a resort area. As the automobile arrived on the scene and the area was accessible by super highway, the trains usefulness finished and the rail line eventually shutdown.

Ste. Agathe and the surrounding lakes have been the favoured destination of generations of North Americans.

ST. ANDREWS EAST
The municipality of Saint-André-d’Argenteuil, which includes the former villages of St. Andrews East (Saint- André-Est) and Carillon and the parish of Saint-André-d’Argenteuil, is a wonderful place to spend a day or two. There is so much historic architecture in this area, and amid such a lovely setting, that visitors will have no trouble finding sights to see.

The Légaré Mill, a National Historic Site, is the oldest working water-driven mill in Canada. This old community mill dating from 1762 sits in an enchanting site on the banks of the Chêne River, in the heart of Old Saint-Eustache. The miller still produces wheat and buckwheat flour using time-honoured methods. In the spring, he practises another old tradition, resurfacing the millstones. Visitors can watch him use a pick-hammer to restore the stones’ rough surface.