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Chibougamau
Chibougamau (French pronunciation: [ʃibuɡamo]) is the largest town in Nord-du-Québec, central Quebec, Canada. Located on Lake Gilman, it has a population of 7,233 people (2021 Canadian census). Chibougamau is surrounded by, but not part of, the local municipality of Eeyou Istchee James Bay. Chibougamau means "gathering place" in the Cree language.
Its remoteness from Lac Saint-Jean (over 200 km (120 mi) south-east) and Abitibi-Témiscamingue (over 250 km (160 mi) south-west) areas causes Chibougamau to provide services for a few smaller communities surrounding it (Mistissini, Oujé-Bougoumou, and Chapais) and for the regional resource-based industries. Despite Chibougamau's remoteness, it is only about as far north as Winnipeg and is south of any part of the mainland of England.
Access to the town is by Route 167 from Lac Saint-Jean and by Route 113 from Lebel-sur-Quévillon. Chibougamau/Chapais Airport is along Route 113, about halfway to Chapais.
The area has long been part of the Cree territory. It was in the early 17th century that French explorers and traders, including Charles Albanel in 1671, came to the Chibougamau Lake area. However, no permanent European settlements were established at that time.
Only in the late 19th century would the area attract the interest of mining prospectors. When gold was discovered in 1903, there were periods of intense exploration. The difficulty of access caused no lasting development to take place at the time.
In 1918, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) established a storage depot on Chibougamau Lake to supply the Mistassinni trading post. Circa 1927, a fur trading post was added to the depot and it became an outpost of Mistassinni. Circa 1931, Chibougamau became a full post, but closed in 1941.
In 1949, copper extraction began, with the opening of a multi-metallic mine in the area, and a permanent community was established in 1952. Chibougamau started out as a company town but soon afterward, in 1954, it was incorporated as a municipality. That same year, the HBC reopened their post, which was converted to a store in 1956. Many mines have exploited the area since. While still thought of as a mining town, Chibougamau is now also the centre of a large logging and sawmill industry.
From 1962 to 1988, the Royal Canadian Air Force operated CFS Chibougamau, a radar station in Chibougamau that was part of the Pinetree Line. The complex has now been transformed into a golf complex and an office for a mining company. In 1984, the HBC store (operating as a Northern Store since 1964) permanently closed.
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Chibougamau
Chibougamau (French pronunciation: [ʃibuɡamo]) is the largest town in Nord-du-Québec, central Quebec, Canada. Located on Lake Gilman, it has a population of 7,233 people (2021 Canadian census). Chibougamau is surrounded by, but not part of, the local municipality of Eeyou Istchee James Bay. Chibougamau means "gathering place" in the Cree language.
Its remoteness from Lac Saint-Jean (over 200 km (120 mi) south-east) and Abitibi-Témiscamingue (over 250 km (160 mi) south-west) areas causes Chibougamau to provide services for a few smaller communities surrounding it (Mistissini, Oujé-Bougoumou, and Chapais) and for the regional resource-based industries. Despite Chibougamau's remoteness, it is only about as far north as Winnipeg and is south of any part of the mainland of England.
Access to the town is by Route 167 from Lac Saint-Jean and by Route 113 from Lebel-sur-Quévillon. Chibougamau/Chapais Airport is along Route 113, about halfway to Chapais.
The area has long been part of the Cree territory. It was in the early 17th century that French explorers and traders, including Charles Albanel in 1671, came to the Chibougamau Lake area. However, no permanent European settlements were established at that time.
Only in the late 19th century would the area attract the interest of mining prospectors. When gold was discovered in 1903, there were periods of intense exploration. The difficulty of access caused no lasting development to take place at the time.
In 1918, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) established a storage depot on Chibougamau Lake to supply the Mistassinni trading post. Circa 1927, a fur trading post was added to the depot and it became an outpost of Mistassinni. Circa 1931, Chibougamau became a full post, but closed in 1941.
In 1949, copper extraction began, with the opening of a multi-metallic mine in the area, and a permanent community was established in 1952. Chibougamau started out as a company town but soon afterward, in 1954, it was incorporated as a municipality. That same year, the HBC reopened their post, which was converted to a store in 1956. Many mines have exploited the area since. While still thought of as a mining town, Chibougamau is now also the centre of a large logging and sawmill industry.
From 1962 to 1988, the Royal Canadian Air Force operated CFS Chibougamau, a radar station in Chibougamau that was part of the Pinetree Line. The complex has now been transformed into a golf complex and an office for a mining company. In 1984, the HBC store (operating as a Northern Store since 1964) permanently closed.