History...then and now
23 June 2018
When I began my research, the information that I acquired led me much further than I originally intended. I discovered with fascination, how the territory along the shores along the lac Mercier was developed, and how active our region was at the beginning of last century.
I am offering you this fruit of my research, and invite you to travel through this very fascinating sector of our local history.
Main sources of research and references: -> Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec "BAnQ" -> Registre Foncier du Québec
(Click on the blue links to access the content)
The chapters on this page
- Lac Mercier in its early days
- Hon. Honoré Mercier and parish priest Antoine Labelle
- Colonization plan
- The “Grand Brûlé” becomes Saint-Jovite
- The railway beyond “La Repousse”
- A village
- The Chemin du lac Tremblant and the “Parc de la Montagne Tremblante”
- The water source
- The forestry industry in the village
- The train station at Lac Mercier and the history of the “Train du Nord”
- The pioneers of the village
- The “Mission of Mont-Tremblant”
- A resident priest: Charles-Hector Deslauriers
- Creation of the Municipality of Mont-Tremblant
- The village school
- A stream between lac Moore and lac Mercier
- Lac Mercier in the canton of Clyde
- Global context and The beginning of the tourism era
- Hotels in Lake Mercier
- Advancing development around the lake
Before us, they walked on these lands and admired the mountains and the lake…
lac Mercier at its Beginnings
At the time of colonization in the province, the lots surrounding Lake Mercier were created between 1871 and 1889. The south end of Lake Mercier was located in the Township of Grandison and almost all of the lake was located in the Township of Clyde.
According to the first settlers, at the end of the 19th century, lac Mercier was called, le lac “Sem” or “Sam” (the name of a senior employee of a forestry company, at that time ?). Curé Samuel Ouimet, the first parish priest in St. Jovite, renamed the lake “lac Mercier”, in honour of the Hon. Honoré Mercier (1840-1894), Prime Minister of Quebec from 1887-1891, and recognized as one of the great Prime Ministers in the history of Quebec. It was only in 1968 that the name “lac Mercier” was officialized by the “Provincial Toponymy Committee”.
This period in our history presented difficult choices to the local rural Quebec inhabitants. It was becoming increasingly difficult to support a family reasonably. The people faced the choices of emigrating to the United States, moving to the cities to work in factories, or becoming the colonisers of new territories. This situation greatly favored the influential Catholic church, which developed the rules and regulations related to colonisation.
Since his arrival in 1868 as parish priest in Saint Jérôme, father Antoine Labelle (1833-1891) dedicated himself to opening the northern territories to colonization, convinced as he was that the future of French-Canadians lay in agricultural work.
The determination expended by Father Antoine Labelle, and the energy with which he encouraged his peers made him a legend.
Overview of curé Labelle’s Colonisation activities
Community Stories: Antoine Labelle
Honoré Mercier and curé Antoine Labelle
By his renown as Prime Minister, and his involvement in the development of our region, the Honourable Honoré Mercier also made his mark on history via his descendants :
-His eldest daughter, Eliza Mercier, would marry Sir Lomer Gouin
-His daughter Heva Mercier married Homère Fauteux and became the mother of the Honorable Gaspard Fauteux,
-his son Honoré Mercier ll, became a politician who was a fierce defender of nature, who was able to merge his love for this region with his ministerial duties. He was at the forefront of several institutions charged with protecting nature and natural resources, at a time when such initiatives were in their infancy in North America.
Honorable Honoré Mercier, le père et le fils
Supported by father Antoine Labelle called the “King of the North”, the Hon. Honoré Mercier worked hard for the development rural Quebec territories, and promoted the interests of colonization and agriculture.
Overview of the political life of Honoré Mercier
Several particularly difficult winters (1871-1872) and the requirement to transport firewood to Montreal, overcame the resistance of certain politicians who had refused to develop a railroad in the Laurentians. At that time, the train ran to Saint-Jerome, but curé Labelle envisioned further, and wished to colonize new lands more to the north.
He also dreamt of bringing tourists, who wished to escape the city, and who wanted to profit from the beautiful landscapes and numerous resources in the area known as “Cantons du Nord”. The extension of the railway further north, was essential to the realization of that dream.
The vision of curé Labelle, known as the “King of the North”, to extend the railway beyond “La Repousse” mountain (Saint-Faustin) is essential to the realization of this dream and he spent a lot energy in trying to realize his colonization plan.
Colonization plan of the “Cantons du Nord”
The curé Labelle wanted to slow down the exodus of French-Canadians towards the United States, but he also had the firm intention to slow the influx of Anglo-saxons and their protestants ministers going to the north of the Saint-Laurent river. The latter had already began to occupy the Outaouais region, in the cantons of Montcalm, Arundel and Salaberry on the Diable river.
The curé felt that the protestants had the intention of acquiring all the good land in the valley of the Rouge and the Diable rivers, and he expended considerable effort to derail their projects. He absolutely wanted to avoid, in the « cantons of the North”, what the Anglophones had created in the Eastern townships, where the distribution of acreages favored them, to the detriment of the poorer French Canadians.
Curé Labelle reached to “La Repousse”
In the Fall of 1870, the curé Labelle left Saint-Jérome, and traversed the ridge referred to “La Repousse” (Saint-Faustin) to reach the plain of the “Grand Brûlé” (Great burn). The forests had been partly cleared at the junction of the Diable and Rouge rivers by forestry entrepreneurs from Hawesbury, so that they could store their food and equipment which were necessary for their work sites during the winter. He saw this nice valley location as an ideal site for the implantation of a colony.
Antoine Labelle requested aid from the government so that a large number of lots could be distributed to the settlers. He also requested a improved legislate of protection to counter the abusive practices of the forestry entrepreneurs.
After completing the survey of the canton De Salaberry in 1871, settlers began clearing the valley of the Grand Brûlé on the south shore of the Diable. In order to help the families settle on these lands, the cure Labelle was successful in collecting funds necessary for the improvement of the chemin Morin (route 117) that join the Grand Brûlé to Ste-Agathe , as well as the construction of a covered bridge over the Diable, which permitted these settlers to clear the land on both sides of the river.
The land clearers gradually settled in the cantons de Wolfe, Arundel and Clyde.
After the opening of the “Chemin Morin” (current route 117) up to the Diable river in 1871, the settlers established themselves in the Canton of Clyde (La Conception), in the middle of the forestry empire owned by the Hamilton brothers from Hawesbury.
The St-Jean, Pilon, Champagne, Labelle and Clément families settled in the “Township of Clyde” where Lake Mercier is located.
The “Mission du Grand Brûlé”
In 1878, there were numerous families on both sides of the Diable river, Joseph Sarazin, well established on the south shore of the Diable, offered a portion of land to the curé Labelle, and a chapel-presbytery were soon constructed.
The curé Labelle encouraged the transfer of priest Joseph-Samuel Ouimet from the diocese of Montréal, so that he could devote his time to the settlers and their families in the mission of the Grand Brûlé. In 1878, the new colony is transfered to the pastor Joseph-Samuel Ouimet.
the “Grand Brûlé” becomes “Saint-Jovite”
The Grand Brûlé henceforth will be named St-Jovite.
Curé Ouimet spent considerable energy in recruiting new settlers. The village of St-Jovite now had a School board, and a school was built. The small chapel became too small and was soon transformed in a larger church. The village had a saw mill, a brickmaking plant (François Léonard), as well as a flour mill (Célestin Bisson), a wollen mill (Jude Meilleur), a bakery, transporters, a blacksmith shop, general stores, a physician and a notary. Because of the streams, electric power was installed, which accelerated the expansion of the territory.
“Chemin Bisson” leading to “Chute-aux-Iroquois“
The road, 21 miles long, joining St-Jovite to la Chute Aux Iroquois (Labelle) passed through lac Duhamel and La Conception. In 1883 a new road, crossing ranges 1 and 2 of Grandison and then range D of Clyde, along the west side of lac Mercier, is built. The road, which is called “Chemin Bisson” (now Chemin du lac Mercier) shortened the distance between the two villages to 16 miles. The lands along this road and the east side of the Rouge River, were very fertile and productive.
A first section of the road was opened in 1884 and made it possible to cross the mountainous sector of Lac Mercier and Lac du Sommet to reach the plateau that extends east of the Rivière Rouge (to the Valiquette farm on lots 46 to 50 of the township of Clyde).
In 1886, the road was extended to the “Chute-aux-Iroquois” (now Labelle).
Twice, in1885 and 1890, the curé Labelle, who became deputy minister of Colonization in the government of Honoré Mercier, went to Europe to recruit francophone families willing to settle in the new territories in the “Cantons of the North”.
Extract from: Chronology of the History of Quebec-The Province of Quebec from 1867 to Today
… “1890: Times are hard in Quebec. Many leave the countryside to look for work in the city, where they are exploited by bosses who pay them ridiculous wages in exchange for six days of work, at a minimum of ten hours of work a day. Others chose exile to the factories of the United States. No less than a million Quebecers are leaving their homeland, a staggering number! It’s a real ghetto of francophones that is being created in New England”…
The railroad beyond « La Repousse »
The vision of the “King of the North” to extend the railway beyond “La Repousse” mountain (Saint-Faustin) became a reality.
A railway station has been established in Saint-Jovite in October 1893.
In 1894, the railway was completed in the lac Mercier sector, and the first train past and continue in the direction of La Conception and the Chute aux Iroquois station (Labelle).
The train would now bring workers and tourists into the “Valley of the Diable and Rouge” rivers just to its end of the “Chute aux Iroquois”.
After the death of curé Antoine Labelle in 1891, his colonization project was continued by his loyal friend curé Samuel Ouimet. Colonization continued and spread to the cantons of Grandisson and Clyde.
In addition to caring for the families in the “Valley of the Diable”, the curé Ouimet must now service the parishes in the “Missions of La Conception” and “Chute-aux-Iroquois” (Labelle).
The birth of a village
Settlers could obtain lots by “ rental tickets” or by granting “Letters Patent” from the Quebec government.
According to the Gazette officielle de Québec published on November 19,1892, the Commissioner of Crown Lands granted several lots of the 2nd range in the township of Grandison and lots of ranges D and E in the township of Clyde to the Mercier family.
“Chemin du Lac Tremblant” and “Parc de la Montagne Tremblante”
The “Chemin du Lac Tremblant” (the current Chemin du Village) which connects the railway along Lac Mercier to Lac Tremblant, was completed in September 1896. The new path will be ready for the inauguration of the “Parc de la Montagne Tremblante” in mid-September.
On November 12, 1896, Virginie St-Denis, widow of the Hon. Honoré Mercier, now holds the Letters Patent“ from the Government of Quebec obtained by her husband, for lots 34 to 37 of the 2nd range in the township of Grandison.
In April 1898, Virginie St-Denis disposed of lots 34 and 35 of Range ll in the township of Grandison, covering an area of 200 acres. The buyer was François Sigouin Sr., a farmer from Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts and now living in St-Jovite. The sale comes with a promise to help the buyer if needed.
On October 6, 1899, Virginie St-Denis sold lots 36 (67 acres) and 37 (31 acres), as well as a small part of lot 35 (4 acres) of Range II to Edouard-Henri Mercier, a Montreal customs officer and brother of Honoré Mercier.
Water source
The water comes from a spring that gushes out on the north side of the mountain that runs along the “chemin du lac Tremblant” (behind the current Hotel Mont-Tremblant). The source and the aqueduct system have belonged to Célestin Bisson since 1901.
On November 22, 1901, François Sigouin Sr. sold to Célestin Bisson, the water source located on lot 35 of rang ll de Grandison, with the right to build a basin and an aqueduct about 1000 feet long, to bring the water to Joseph Dufour ‘s site Lot 36 of Range LL. In 1902, Joseph Dufour had a source of water necessary for the operations of the hotel he was about to build, the “Hotel Mont-Tremblant“.
The spring was sold to Donalda Renaud in 1923. Eight families in this area benefit from water service in addition to the Mont-Tremblant hotel and the school located in the middle of the village: the Syracuse for 2 houses, Labelle, Sigouin, Letendre, Richer, Lavigne and Poissant. Families benefited from this water service for an annual contribution (varying from $6. to $30. in 1941).
Victorine Hamel, owner of the Hotel Mont-Tremblant, sold the water source and water systems at the same time as the hotel and the other properties she owned in May 1941.
The Forest Industry
In 1901, Edouard-Henri Mercier leased part of lots 35 and 36 of the 2nd range of Grandison to the Great Northern Lumber forestry company where it had its facilities along the “Chemin du Lac Tremblant“
In 1902, François Sigouin Sr. and Alphonse Gauthier sold to the forestry company and the lumber merchant Salomon Cole, a large portion of this territory on the entire plateau between “Lac Brochet“ (now Lac Moore) and “Lac Mercier”, and from the stream that runs along the plateau to the foot of the mountain (Mont-Plaisant).
Several buildings were erected, including a general store, a sawmill and wood processing facilities, in addition to a huge lumber yard. A hotel for the company’s employees, the “Chalet du lac“, was soon to be built there.
In 1906, this territory was sold to the A.D. Gall Petroleum & Chemical Co.
L’industrie du bois dans le village de Mont-Tremblant
A.D. Gall Petroleum & Chemical and their merchant Salomon Cole also acquired timber cutting rights on lots 5 to 12 of Range E in Clyde Township north and east of the lake in addition to holding stumpage rights on Lots 8 and 9 of Range D in Clyde Township, on the west side of the lake and around the summit lake, of which Marie Giroux, widow of Alphonse D. Dury, held the letters patent.
The train station at Lac Mercier
After the death of Honoré Mercier in 1894, it was Virginie St-Denis, his widow, who held the letters patent of the government for lots 34 to 37 of Range ll in the county of Grandison, (village of Mont-Tremblant) and part of the lots surrounding Lac Mercier in the township of Clyde.
The parts of lots expropriated for the construction of the railway are numbered 46 (in Grandison) and 52 (in Clyde).
On December 31, 1914, Virginie St-Denis sold Lot 46 in Grandison Township to the Canadian Pacific Railway, where the railway had been installed some twenty years earlier. Lot 52 at the D and E levels of the Township of Clyde was sold in 1896, 1897, 1906 and in 1914 to the Montreal & Western Railway Co.
In 1894, the installation of the railway was completed in the Lac Mercier sector and the first train passed there in the direction of La Conception and the Chute aux Iroquois (Labelle) station. However, it was not until the Fall of 1904 that the Canadian Pacific Railway built its first station.
At Lac Mercier, the inauguration of the station now allowed the “ Train du Nord” to stop in the small village, which gave a new impetus to the development of the region.
In the small hamlet of Lac Mercier, the number of families has increased significantly since the establishment of the industry and the arrival of the train and the construction of the station.
Pionneers of the village
In 1904-1905, François Sigouin Sr., owner of lot 35 of the 2nd range in Grandison, along the stream and the “chemin du lac Tremblant“, between Lake Mercier and “Lac Brochet” (Lac Moore), sold parts of the lots on the condition that the purchasers erect a habitable house.
François Sigouin, father of 10 children, had occupied this lot since the late 1880s. He had built a house, a barn and a stable and cleared 35 acres for cultivation. He was finally able to acquire the lot as soon as it was put up for sale.
These new inhabitants are the pioneers of the village of Mont-Tremblant. They came from the regions of Saint-Sauveur, Saint-Jérôme, Sainte-Thérèse and Sainte-Agathe and acquired these plots of land, determined to settle in a region full of promise.
These pioneers were: Joseph Cyr, Alphonse Gauthier, Jules Lachapelle, Joseph Dufour, who built the Mont-Tremblant Hotel, then Wilfrid Guay (and Donalda Renaud) who became its owners, carpenter Octave Émond, lumberjack Calixte Ladouceur, foreman Zéphirin Meilleur (and Victorine Hamel), day labourers Olivier Ladouceur and Ovide Barnes, farmer Célestin Bisson and carpenter Zéphirin Bisson, boarding master Joseph Meilleur and Jean-Romain Lavigne, who soon opened a general store next door to baker Jules Boivin. It was replaced in 1925 by Adélard Richer’s butcher’s shop.
We will also remember Eugène Dicaire, Charles Whittey, station master Adélard Matte, Azarius Lauzon, Arthur Robert, Damien Poissant (and Irène Bréard) who settled just behind Joseph Dufour’s hotel, Zéphirin Vanchesteing (Virginie Sénécal) who installed electricity in the village, and many others later.
Les pionniers de Mont-Tremblant
Almost all the parts of lot 35 of the 2nd range of Grandison were sold by François Sigouin to pioneers who settled along the ” Chemin du lac Tremblant “. The parts of the lots on the north side of this road were more suitable for housing, it is there that several houses and businesses were built, some of which have survived to this day.
The Vanchesteings operated a small power station from 1912 and gradually installed electricity to the village. In 1931, Virginie Sénécal, widow of Joseph Vanchesteing, sold the facilities to the Gatineau Power Co., which would henceforth provide a reliable electricity network in the village.
Since the beginning of the century, running water has been provided to the inhabitants of this part of the village and the small school in the middle of the village.
For several years thereafter, the village’s water was drawn from Moore Lake. The pumping facilities will be located in a municipal garage at the mouth of Moore Lake (now Daniel-Lauzon Park) to supply the families of the village.
The “Mission de Mont-Tremblant”
The “Mission de Mont-Tremblant ” was served by Father Ouimet, who came to visit it on Sundays until his death in 1918. Its territory includes part of the township of Grandison. The village is located on the railway route. This mission was first called “Mont-Tremblant“, because of the proximity of the “Trembling Mountain”.
The “Mont-Tremblant mission” serves the entire 2nd range of the township of Grandison (in the county of Terrebonne), that is to say the village, but also the faithful who have settled in range D of the township of Clyde, (mission of La Conception), i.e. all the faithful settled in Lake Mercier.
In July 1920, Zéphirin Bisson Jr., a carpenter and joiner from St-Jovite, sold to Father Joseph-Eugène Limoges, the land he had acquired from François Sigouin Sr. in October 1912.
The land must be used for purposes related to Catholic worship and is reserved for the construction of a chapel or church.
The mission was entrusted to the parish priest Limoges. In 1922, Joseph-Eugène Limoges was appointed Bishop of Mont-Laurier.
In 1928, Bishop Limoges promised to appoint a resident parish priest at the mission at Lac Mercier the following spring and to have a church and a presbytery built there.
The « mission de Mont-Tremblant » was established, and curé Ouimet made regular weekly visits until his death in 1918. The mission was then transfered to curé Joseph-Eugène Limoges, who retained numerous good memories of his visits to lac Mercier, which he later published when he became the bishop of Mont-Laurier in 1922.
A resident priest, Charles-Hector Deslauriers
The mission of Mont-Tremblant was then taken over by father Charles-Hector Deslauriers in 1929.
Charles-Hector Deslauriers, was born in Pointe-Claire in 1898, completed his classical studies in Montréal and finished his program in theology at the seminary of Mont-Laurier. He was ordained to the priesthood by Mgr Limoges in 1925 and became director of the studies at the seminary of Mont-Laurier during 3 years before being appointed as parish priest of lac Mercier.
In the Summer of 1929, he undertook to build a church, to replace the small chapel. The new church was completed at the end of 1929.
In 1929, local carpenters and craftsmen, including Euclide Dubois, participated in the construction of the new church on the promontory next to the small chapel facing the lake.
Euclide Dubois, whose parents came from the Ste-Thérèse region, had acquired several lots in the area between Lake Ouimet and Lake Mercier. A carpenter and entrepreneur, he built the Villa Bellevue inn on Lake Ouimet. He also operated a sawmill on one of the lots near du chemin qui mène au village.
It was in December 1929 that the Church of Lake Mercier was completed.
Father Deslauriers quickly understood that tourism would be crucial for the development of the region. He devoted himself greatly to encouraging his parishioners to practice sports and also to beautify their environment.
Concerned about the loss of forests due to intensive logging by logging companies, he initiated a reforestation program in the region. He had a great passion for horticulture and recognizing the importance of conserving nature.
Les oubliés: Charles-Hector Deslauriers
Le Curé Deslauriers un sauveur pour Mont-Tremblant
*******
The hotel “Chalet du lac ” was sold to the parish priest Charles-H. Deslauriers in 1939. The tourist building will serve as a gathering place for activities organized by Father Deslauriers.
It was the beginning of the Second World War 1939-1945.
In 1940, Father Charles-Hector Deslauriers organized a petition to the population, which at the time numbered about 600 souls, and demanded from Quebec that the small hamlet of Lac Mercier be separated from the “municipality of the Townships of Salaberry and Grandison” (which would become the municipality of Saint-Jovite).
Creation of the Municipality of Mont-Tremblant
A law was adopted in April 1940, creating the “Municipality of Mont-Tremblant“.
The village school
The Standard Chemical Co.’s outdated buildings and sawmill were abandoned. The sale of many parcels of land that the company still owned continued until 1942. The branch of the railway line was dismantled to make way for the “rue Du Couvent“.
The village regained its rights and new owners settled on this plateau between Moore Creek and the mountain (Mont Plaisant) and Mercier and Moore lakes, the “Rue Du Couvent” sector. A school was built in this new sector of the village and the Sisters of Holy Cross moved in in 1948.
In Quebec, it was not until 1943 that the government passed a law making schooling compulsory until the age of 14, and then in 1964, until the age of 15.
Death of the founding parish priest, Charles-Hector Deslauriers:
After 50 years of dedication to the municipality of Mont-Tremblant, he passed away on April 23, 1979.
A stream between the two lakes
Between the plateau where the logging company had its facilities and the “Chemin du lac Tremblant“, the discharge stream of “Lac Moore” flowed into “Lac Mercier”
In the middle of it’s trajectory, it widened into a swampy pond. This muddy pond disappeared with the development of the village and the improvement of the main street, pushing the stream towards the edge of the industrial plateau.
It was only in the 80s that the municipality diverted the stream to an underground pipe, thus creating a linear park along the plateau of the rue du Couvent.
The former site of the creek has become a “piste multifonctionnelle” and a park: “ Parc du Curé Deslauriers“.
Lac Mercier in Canton of Clyde
Since the surveying in 1871-1883 divided the territory into cantons, in the counties of Labelle (canton of Clyde) and Terrebonne (canton of Grandison), the small village of Mont-Tremblant and the south-est sector of lac Mercier became part of canton of Grandison in the county of Terrebonne.
As for lac Mercier and lac Desmarais, they were located in the « Municipality of Clyde » (La Conception) in the canton of Clyde in the county of Labelle.
In 1940, its geographic location and the development of the tourist industry created by the Mont-Tremblant mountain, resulted in the Municipalité de Mont-Tremblant integrating lac Mercier and lac Desmarais within it’s territory. The lots of range D (to the west) and E (to the east and north of the lake) in the Canton of Clyde were henceforth made part of the Municipality of Mont-Tremblant.
The Municipality of Clyde officially changes its name in 1946 for « Municipality of La Conception ».
published in: « Politique familiale », Municipalité La Conception
Global context
The beginning of the century was marked by several major events that influenced the development of our region, and changed in many ways, the way people lived.
-the Great War of 1914-1918, and the Conscription crisis
-the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918,
-a period of economic and cultural transformation, and the evolution of personal behaviours during the years 1920-1930 characterized as the “Roaring 20’s “,
-the influence of prohibition,
-the Great Depression, this economic crisis of the 1930s, marked with unemployment and misery
— and the creation of the “Adirondack chair” at the beginning of the century !
The beginning of the tourist era
In the 1930s and 1940s, the tourism industry grew. At that time, the tourist industry discovered the “Pays d’en Haut” and the clientele from the English-speaking and French-speaking bourgeois circles became more important in the region.
le développement touristique de la région
The hotel “Chalet du lac “, sold to the parish priest Charles-H. Deslauriers in 1939, is a building for tourism and serves as a gathering place for activities organized by Father Deslauriers.
For several years, the hotel was known as the “Auberge du curé”.
The Hotels of lac Mercier :
Lac Mercier began to attract holidayers, enchanted by the beauty of the surroundings, the pure air, the hunting, fishing and other numerous activities. Many tourists came to the region simply to enjoy the clean air, or to operate small craft on the lake, or to profit from the activities that occurred in the hotels. Outdoor activities and open air sports were becoming more and more popular.
Having become a tourist destination for the well-off, it was the attraction of downhill skiing that brought more tourists during the 30s and 40s.
For a few hours train ride from Montreal, all of these activities were now accessible. The improvement in the road system, as well as the affordability of the automobile, brought large numbers of tourists to the region.
>read more about these hotels: …
Development around the lake
It is not until 1940 that the small village of lac Mercier became the “Municipalité of Mont-Tremblant”. It is also in 1940 that the lac Mercier became part of the municipalité of Mont-Tremblant territory.
Lac Mercier and lac Desmarais were previously parts of the municipalité of Clyde ( La Conception).
The northern part of lac Mercier remained undeveloped until the 1970s, except for the small chalets built along the railway in the 1930s. These chalets were only occupied during the Summer, as there was no access road.
The “Chemin des Boisés” was developed in 1975. Nicole Morin and Joël Yanow were the pioners in the development of that part of the lake.
During the past thirty years, several real estate developments appeared on the mountains surrounding lac Mercier: “The “Domaine du Lac Mercier” on the north shore, the “Cap Tremblant” on the south shore, on the mountain overlooking the village, “L’ Orée des Lacs” on the east side, and finally the “Domaine Privilège” on the west side.
Read more … on the Development around the lake
The Merciers and their descendants
Honoré Mercier had obtained several lots in the region to allow the installation of the railway.
In 1892, several lots had also been reserved by letters patent for Honoré Mercier, Virginie St-Denis and her family, these lots being for the most part considered unsuitable for cultivation. These lots were therefore not made available to the settlers.
The “Camp of Lac Mercier,” built at the end of lot 37 of the 2nd range of Grandison on the boundary of lot 1 of range D of Clyde, was the favourite retreat of the Hon. Honoré Mercier, when he was premier. He often went there with his two sons and his brother Edouard-Henri Mercier.
Memorable fishing stories were reported in the newspapers of the time. Political meetings were also held there.
After his death in 1894, it was Virginie St-Denis, his widow, who held the letters patent of the government for lots 34 to 37 of range ll in the county of Grandison, (village of Mont-Tremblant) and part of the lots surrounding Lake Mercier in the township of Clyde.
The parts of lots expropriated for the construction of the railway are numbered Lot 46 (in Grandison) and Lot 52 (in Clyde).
On December 31, 1914, Virginie St-Denis sold Lot 46 in Grandison Township to the Canadian Pacific Railway, where the railway had been installed some twenty years earlier.
Lot 52 at Ranges D and E in the Township of Clyde was sold in 1896, 1897, 1906 and in 1914 to the Montreal & Western Railway Co.
*****
The southern end of the lake
In 1899, Honoré Mercier’s brother, Edouard-Henri Mercier, had become the owner of lots 36 and 37 of the 2nd range of Grandison adjacent to Lake Mercier. A family villa will replace the Mercier fishing camp.
This vast territory covers approximately the lake in its southern and southeastern part.
An interesting fact: the Merciers own a rocky islet in Lake Mercier located in the extension of the dividing line between lots 36 and 37.
This rocky isllet must have been larger at the time because it still appears as a “portion of territory” during the transfer of property titles, until the 30s.
After the death of Edouard-Henri Mercier in June 1905, his two daughters Cécilia and Évelina were the heiresses. Cecilia ceded her share of the inheritance to Evelina “Eva” Mercier, who became the owner of almost all of the land adjacent to the lake in its southeastern part. She was contractually bound to continue renting the lots for timber cutting with Salomon Cole, the lumber merchant and owner of the sawmill located in the village.
Parts of lot 36 along the lake and along the railway tracks were sold by Évelina “Éva” Mercier to pioneers. They built homes and a few businesses, including the Hotel Mont-Tremblant.
When Évelina Mercier died in September 1920, her properties were bequeathed to her husband, Alfred Beaudoin, and her 6 children. The Beaudoin children continue to frequent Lac Mercier.
The estate of Évelina Mercier kept the land east and southeast of the lake for several more years. Alfred Beaudoin died in July 1934. A few properties remained in the Mercier-Beaudoin estate until the death of Fleur-Ange Beaudoin in 1959 and the other descendants until the 1980s.
These parcels of land at the southern end of the lake, which belonged to the Mercier family during the first part of the twentieth century, are now the property of Grenier , Lojk, Prieur, Courtois, Mallette, Galarneau-Gareau, Archambault, Smith, Raymond, Lauzon-Boissonneault, Balchunas and others.
Built heritage
Several houses built at that time, still in place today, bear witness to the rich history of our region.
chez Jacques Poissant 
The influence of the Merciers on our local history.
From Honoré Mercier, holder by letters patent of several lots in the region of Lac Mercier, to Virginie Saint-Denis, his widowed wife, who gradually sold these lots for the construction of the railway and the development of the territory by the pioneers and settlers, or for the forestry operations of the time.
From Honoré Mercier’s brother, Edouard-Henri Mercier, to his daughter Évelina Mercier (Alfred Beaudoin), and then to his many descendants, who have, in their own way, influenced the history of the region.
Before us, they walked on this land, they looked at these mountains and admired this lake…
By settling on the land around Lake Mercier, the pioneers succeeded in fulfilling the dream of the colonizers and left us a beautiful territory that we have a duty to preserve.
We have taken the measure of the influence of the Merciers, Antoine Labelle, Charles-Hector Deslauriers, Jos Ryan and many other builders and descendants of pioneer families in the region. These pioneers have undeniably left their mark on history.
I hope you enjoyed this journey through time and the history of our little corner of the country…
… Come back and visit us…