Saguenay, Quebec, Canada

The last small town we visited was Saguenay. Unfortunately the weather was foggy and rainy so we did not see the beautiful scenery as we sailed in or out of the fjord and river named Saguenay. I had been here in September on a cruise and a post about Saguenay can be found at bsbat.wordpress.com.

Saguenay is the largest city in area in Quebec. It is the merger of 7 cities about 15 years ago. They could not agree on what to call the combined city so they took the name of the fjord, river and national park. The population of the area is about 125,000.

The bay is called (in native language) Aha Bay which means dead end. In 1996 there were many days of rain which caused the dams to overflow and flood the town, washing away homes, roads and other infrastructure.

Our tour was about craftsmen in the area. Our first stop was at a glass blower’s studio. He did 2 pieces while we watched. One was a ball with an intricate inner design and the second was a hummingbird. We then had time to shop in his gallery. He had been doing this for 35 years.

Our second stop was at a fromagerie. The family had been in the cheese making business for 39 years. It started as a side business for the family when they made excess cheese and sold it to neighbors. The current business employs 125 people and they produce cheese 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. They produce cheddar cheeses and we got to taste 6 types. Their store was packed with locals buying cheese.

Our last stop was at an alpaca farm, where they raise alpacas and then use the wool to make products. We saw a movie about alpacas, where they originated and how their wool is different from sheep and other animals. They had pretty products for sale, but who needs more wool items when you live in Florida.

Some facts we learned about the area:

1. The area was settled in the late 1600s for fur trade.
2. The tides range up to 9 feet from low to high tide.
3. The bay freezes in the winter and when the ice is 12 inches thick people put ice houses out to fish through the ice, or as our guide said to drink beer. They actually create streets on the ice and the city plows them so you can drive to your ice house.
4. The Price family ( these folks were mentioned in many of the places we stopped) arrived and developed pulp mills, built dams for power.
5. The industrialist Arthur Vining Davis came to the area developing a planned city called Arvida ( first 2 letters of his names), aluminum production, dams and other infrastructure. In 1926 he had the largest aluminum plant in the world.
6. Surprisingly there were many above ground swimming pools at private homes we passed.
7. The town has a large military base. It is part of NORAD and they always have a F18 fighter jet ready to lift off in no more than 5 minutes.
8. 95% of the population only speak French.
9. The fjord is 60 miles long and has both fresh and salt water. At points it is 1,000 feet deep and the cliffs rise 1,000 feet on either side.
10. Daycare costs $8.10 per child per day!
11. The town has 2 colleges, one for pilot training and one for media training.