Natashquan

For the First Nations reserve, see Nutashkuan.

Natashquan, Nutahkuant or Nutashkuan in contemporary Innu language, is a municipality located on the north shore of Jacques Cartier Strait,^[6] in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in the Côte-Nord region, Minganie RCM, Quebec, Canada.

Natashquan Nutahkuant or Nutashkuan (contemporary Innu language)
Municipality[1]
Little Natashquan River,[2] built heritage near Notre-Dame de Natashquan Mission
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Côte-Nord
RCM	Minganie
Settled	1855
Constituted	September 16, 1907
Government [3]
• Mayor	Henri Wapistan
• Federal riding	Manicouagan
• Prov. riding	Duplessis
Area [3][4]
• Total	695.43 km2 (268.51 sq mi)
• Land	667.91 km2 (257.88 sq mi)
Elevation	10.7 m (35.1 ft)
Population  (2021)[4]
• Total	262
• Density	0.4/km2 (1/sq mi)
• Pop 2016–2021	0.4%
• Dwellings	156
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Within the AST legislated time zone boundary but observes EST[5])
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G0G 2E0
Area code(s)	418 and 581
Highways	R-138
Website	www.natashquan.org

Natashquan stretches along the coast, on both sides of the Little Natashquan River,^[2] about 120 km east of Havre-Saint-Pierre, near Aguanish and the Natashkuan Indian reserve.^[1]

In addition to the village of Natashquan itself, the municipality also includes the hamlet of Pointe-Parent located on the Natashquan River shore, directly adjacent to the Natashquan Reserve.

The hamlet of Pointe-Parent, once also known as Pointe-du-Poste or Village-du-Poste, name Matshiteu by the Innu, which means “the point of land”, is located near the Natashkuan Indian reserve, in the municipality of Natashquan.^[7]

It is home to some fishermen's homes and was served by a post office from 1953 to 1976. Pointe-Parent was named after priest Pierre-Clément Parent (1733–1784) who served as missionary in Tadoussac and Labrador and died in Natashquan.^[7][8]

• Pointe-Parent: 50°07′49″N 61°48′02″W / 50.13028°N 61.80056°W

Between 1855 and 1860, the pioneers of Natashquan lived without a parish organization, the construction of the church began in July 1859, the pioneer families participated in cutting the necessary wood inland from the great Natashquan River. The Notre-Dame-de-Natashquan Mission was founded on the west bank of the Little Natashquan River.^[2][9]

The same year, 1859, the Flora, a three-masted ship 126 feet long, weighing 43 tons, built in Quebec by Narcisse Rosa,^[10] ran aground on the banks of Natashquan, it was so silted up that it was impossible to refloat it. However, the pioneers of Natashquan managed to remove pieces of wood to build their houses, but above all, their new church.

In September 1860, the American sailing ship Moses Taylor, weighing 6,000 tons, loaded with wood, arriving from Liverpool was shipwreck in Natashquan while heading towards Quebec. The misfortune of some making the happiness of others, the pioneers of Natashquan, once again, retired from this shipwreck a significant quantity of wood which they used in the construction of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church or Notre-dame de Natashquan Mission.^[9][11]

• Natashquan Municipality

• Little Natashquan River,^[2] built heritage around the Roman Catholic church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church or Notre-Dame de Natashquan Mission

While Jacques Cartier had visited the area in 1534 and a trading post already existed in 1710 at the mouth of the Natashquan River, the settlement of Natashquan in the eponymous township was not founded until 1855 when the first settlers arrived. They were Acadians from the Magdalen Islands, particularly from Amherst Island (île du Havre Aubert).

The township was officially established in 1869, the post office opened in August 1872, the place was incorporated as a township municipality in 1907. For many decades Natashquan was dependent on fishing, but nowadays few fishermen remain.^[12]

In 1958, the first electricity cooperative was formed and electricity was finally installed in homes. Television followed in the 1970s.^[13]

Before 1996, it was only accessible via boat or airplane. That year, Route 138 was extended to Natashquan, connecting it to Havre-Saint-Pierre and ending its isolation from Quebec's road network.^[13]

On June 18, 2016, Natashquan changed status from township municipality to a (regular) municipality.^[14]

• Natashquan

• The original fishermen huts (magasins du Galet) have been a Quebec cultural heritage site since 2006.

The community is located on the north shore of the Jacques Cartier Strait and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, straddling both banks of the Little Natashquan River, some 120 km (75 mi) east of Havre-Saint-Pierre. The township is bordered on the east and south by the estuary of the Natashquan River, and encompasses an area that is riddled with numerous small ponds and lakes.^[15]

Natashquan experiences a borderline subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc) that is just short of being classed as a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). Summers are mild, moderated by the Gulf of St Lawrence and winters are cold and snowy, with annual snowfall averaging 140 inches (356 cm).^[16]

Mother tongue (2021):^[4]

• English as first language: 1.9%
• French as first language: 96.1%
• English and French as first language: 0%
• Other as first language: 3.8%

The main road through Natashquan is Quebec Route 138, and it is also served by Natashquan Airport and Natashquan (Lac de l'Avion) Water Aerodrome.

Natashquan was the birthplace of singer Gilles Vigneault, who named a song after the municipality ("C'est à Natashquan") on the 2008 album Arriver Chez Soi.

• Natashquan official website
• "Toporama – Topographic Map Sheet 12K4". Atlas of Canada. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2010-01-14.