Val-Jalbert Historic Village

Val-Jalbert's history began in 1901 when forestry entrepreneur Damase Jalbert acquired land at the foot of the Ouiatchouan River Falls to build a pulp mill. The village, initially named Saint-Georges-de-Ouiatchouan, developed rapidly according to a rigorous urban plan: at its peak in the 1920s, it was home to over 900 residents living in approximately 80 workers' homes, equipped with modern comforts then rare in rural areas—electricity, running water, telephone service, and even indoor sanitary facilities. Following Jalbert's death in 1904, the enterprise came under American control and was then acquired in 1909 by the Chicoutimi Pulp Company, led by Julien-Édouard-Alfred Dubuc, who renamed the village in honour of its founder in 1913 and oversaw its golden age until the mid-1920s. A wood pulp market crisis, combined with the company's financial difficulties, led to the mill's permanent closure on August 13, 1927, triggering the complete exodus of the working-class population to other towns. Left abandoned for decades, the site was gradually developed as an open-air museum beginning in the 1960s, as part of Quebec's industrial heritage preservation movement, and was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2019. Visitors today can explore the convent-school, general store, post office, and numerous workers' homes restored to varying degrees, with some intentionally left in their abandoned state to reflect the site's "ghost village" character. A cable car provides access to the summit of Ouiatchouan Falls, which rises 72 metres high, offering sweeping views of the village and Lake Saint-Jean.