Tadoussac, Quebec, a village municipality in the La Haute-Côte-Nord RCM (Regional County Municipality), is a gem nestled in the administrative region of Côte-Nord, Quebec, Canada. This article explores the geography, history, and present-day attractions of this charming village.
Tadoussac is beautifully situated in a bay on the north shore of the lower estuary of the St. Lawrence River, at the mouth of the Saguenay River fjord. The village offers an exceptional backdrop of mountains, water, rock, and greenery. It serves as a point of convergence between the Côte-Nord, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, and Charlevoix regions.
The history of Tadoussac dates back to 1535 when Jacques Cartier arrived during his second voyage. He found Innu people using the area as a base for hunting seal. Later in the same century, Basques conducted whaling expeditions on the river and engaged in hides trade with the natives.
Tadoussac was officially founded in 1599 by François Gravé Du Pont, a merchant, and Pierre de Chauvin de Tonnetuit, a captain of the French Royal Navy. They built the settlement at the mouth of the Saguenay River, at its confluence with the St. Lawrence, to profit from its strategic location. However, the frontier was harsh, and only five of the initial sixteen settlers survived the first winter.
In the late 17th and early 18th century, Tadoussac became the centre of fur trade between the French and First Nations peoples. By the 19th century, tourists discovered the appeal of this rural village, leading to the construction of vacation villas and the iconic Hotel Tadoussac.
Today, Tadoussac is known as a tourist destination due to the rugged beauty of the Saguenay fjord and its facilities for whale watching. The village lies close to the site of the original settlement at the mouth of the Saguenay River. The entire area is either rural or still in a wilderness state, with several federal and provincial natural parks and preserves nearby.
Tadoussac has also been featured in various media. The film "The Hotel New Hampshire," based on the 1981 John Irving novel of the same name, was shot at the Hotel Tadoussac and released in 1984. The introduction to the Goosebumps TV series was also filmed in Tadoussac.
Tadoussac is the north-east terminus of the Baie-Sainte-Catherine/Tadoussac ferry, which offers free and frequent service across the Saguenay River. The village is considered the gateway to the Manicouagan region. Bus service to and from Quebec City and Montreal is offered by Intercar, twice a day, seven days a week.
Tadoussac offers a variety of attractions for tourists. These include the trading post of Pierre Chauvin, the Centre d'interprétation des mammifères marins (CIMM), whale watching excursions in the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park, and the Club de Golf Tadoussac.
According to the 2021 census conducted by Statistics Canada, Tadoussac had a population of 814 living in 397 of its 514 total private dwellings. The population trend shows a slight increase of 1.9% from its 2016 population of 799. The majority of the population speaks French as their first language, followed by English and other languages.
