Le Vieux-Poste de Sept-Îles

Sept-Îles, whose name evokes the archipelago of granite islands sheltering its natural bay, developed historically as a convergence point for commerce between Indigenous nations from the interior and European traders established along the coast. The Vieux-Poste preserves the memory of this fur trading post era, a period when furs harvested by Innu trappers from the hinterland were exchanged for European manufactured goods—an economic system that shaped relations between two worlds for generations. The reconstructed site allows visitors to discover the typical architecture of these northern commercial establishments, as well as the objects and techniques associated with 19th-century fur trade. Sept-Îles itself, now the North Shore's most important urban and port centre, owes part of its modern development to the iron mining industry, with ore transported from deep within Quebec and Labrador via railway, making the city a junction point between the ancient history of the fur trade and the region's contemporary industrial economy. The nearby Sept-Îles archipelago, accessible by sea excursion, offers an additional opportunity to observe seabirds and marine mammals, notably from Grande Basque Island, the only island in the archipelago developed for hiking and camping.