The Nicolet River ( French : Rivière Nicolet ) is a river in Quebec , Canada . It is a tributary of the Saint Lawrence River on its southern shore and flows into Lake Saint Pierre . It is named in honor of the pioneer Jean Nicolet .
27-896: It has several tributaries including the River Bulstrode and the Nicolet River Southwest. Its watershed is mainly in the Centre-du-Québec region although the Southwest Nicolet rises in Estrie . The city of Nicolet is near its mouth on the lake Saint-Pierre which is crossed to the northwest by the St. Lawrence River. The Nicolet River begins its course from 137 kilometres (85 mi) at an altitude of approximately 350 metres (1,150 ft) in lake Nicolet , at Saints-Martyrs-Canadiens . It then flows in
54-530: A 2016 census population of 242,399 inhabitants. The Centre-du-Québec region was established as an independent administrative region of Quebec on July 30, 1997 (in effect August 20 upon publication in the Gazette officielle du Québec ); prior to this date, it formed the southern portion of the Mauricie–Bois-Francs region (the northern part of which is now known simply as Mauricie ). Centre-du-Québec
81-574: A half's drive, while secondary centres such as Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières are close at hand. The region borders Mauricie , right across the St. Lawrence River, to the north, Montérégie to the west, Chaudière-Appalaches to the east and Estrie to the south. The Laviolette Bridge , which connects the region to Trois-Rivières, is located in Bécancour and is the only structure in Quebec located in between Montreal and Quebec City that connects both
108-499: A northwesterly direction to Nicolet where it flows into lac Saint-Pierre . Its watershed has an area of 3,380 kilometres (2,100.23 mi). Its modulus is 79 cubic metres per second (2,800 cu ft/s). Its main tributaries are, from upstream to downstream, the rivers des Vases , des Pins , des Rosiers , Bulstrode and Nicolet Southwest . The latter, which joins the Nicolet at 5 kilometres (3.1 mi), drains half of
135-459: A thickness of 100 feet. The clay is marine/Leda clay that is "extra sensitive" or "quick". The natural water content of the clay was above the liquid limit in some areas and above the plastic limit in others. Due to the salt concentration within marine clays, which would have crystallized as the marine water receded historically, the salt would be removed by rainfall and meltwater after winter. Glacio-marine clays and silts are common in this area due to
162-481: Is a private high school located on Saint-Jean-Baptiste street. Nicolet also has École nationale de police du Québec (Québec National Police Academy) and École d'agriculture de Nicolet . Trois-Rivières , a city approximately 20 km away from Nicolet, offers access to colleges and a university. There is an ecological park, L'Anse du Port, featuring an observatory. The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Cathedral contains artwork. The Musée des Religions du Monde focuses on
189-469: Is not located in the geographic centre of Quebec, though it is approximately located in the centre of the southern portion of the province. Some consider the name Bois-Francs to be synonymous with the Centre-du-Québec region; others see it as being synonymous with Arthabaska Regional County Municipality , with its main city Victoriaville earning the title Capitale des Bois-Francs (capital of
216-663: The Canada 2016 Census was 8,169. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nicolet . The residents of the town pronounce the final "t" in Nicolet, but people outside of the region do not. The town took its name from Jean Nicolet , a French explorer and clerk of the Company of One Hundred Associates , who explored the Great Lakes region west to Wisconsin . Despite never having lived there, he explored
243-480: The Saint-Lawrence and Nicolet rivers, on sandy, unstable soil, making the area prone to landslides . **The main reason for the occurrence of the slide in Nicolet, Quebec is the type of soil in the area of which the slide occurred. Beneath the 8-foot thick stratified fine sand layer, was a thick stratified gray clay that extended to the depth of 35 feet and below that, was a darker clay with black mottling with
270-480: The Bois-Francs). The Centre-du-Québec is a primarily agricultural region known as the breadbasket of Quebec; major products include livestock and poultry , dairy products (the region produces more dairy products than all of Canada’s maritime provinces combined ), as well as food crops such as cereals , vegetables , and fruits such as apples and cranberries . The city of Plessisville , located in
297-583: The City of Nicolet, the Municipality of Nicolet-Sud and the Parish of Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-Nicolet on December 27, 2000. Mother tongue language (2006) Sogetel , a major independent telephone company, is headquartered here. Curé-Brassard is a local elementary school. École Secondaire Jean-Nicolet is a public high school located on Monseigneur-Brunault street. Collège Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption
SECTION 10
#1732788048523324-581: The area during the seven years he lived in Trois-Rivières . The area was originally settled by the Abenaki tribe, who knew it as Pithigan or Pithiganek , meaning "entrance". French colonial settlement of Nicolet area began in the late 17th century, with Pierre Monet de Moras constructing a seigneurial manor on what is now known as Moras Island. Rights to the territory of Nicolet were accorded in 1672 by Jean Talon , passing through several hands in
351-431: The area is named place du 21 mars ("21st of March Place") to commemorate the event. Eight months later, on November 12, 1955, a Leda clay landslide carried 7 acres (28,000 m ) of earth and six buildings crashing down into the Nicolet river, killing three people, injuring six and causing $ 10 million in damages. The incident destroyed the trade school (established in 1887) and the recently rebuilt cathedral. The event
378-612: The basin. The basin includes 40 lakes, the most important of which are lake Nicolet (401 hectares (990 acres)), les Trois Lacs (Les Sources) (225 hectares (560 acres)) and the Beaudet reservoir (88 hectares (220 acres)). The part upstream of Saint-Léonard-d'Aston is part of the Appalaches . The subsoil is composed of sedimentary rocks folded and metamorphosed ( shale , slate and sandstone ), volcanic rocks ( basalt ) and ultramafic rocks ( Serpentine and asbestos ). As for
405-428: The city of Trois-Rivières . In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Nicolet had a population of 8,620 living in 3,752 of its 3,923 total private dwellings, a change of 5.5% from its 2016 population of 8,169 . With a land area of 96.11 km (37.11 sq mi), it had a population density of 89.7/km (232.3/sq mi) in 2021. Population trend: (+) Amalgamation of
432-761: The headquarters of the Sisters of the Assumption . Reconstruction began soon afterwards, with the new headquarters of the Sisters of the Assumption and a girls' school being inaugurated in 1908. An agricultural school was added to the Collège in 1938, and a test centre for the Canadian Armed Forces was established in 1952. On March 21, 1955, a fire gutted the downtown area of Nicolet, destroying 35 commercial buildings and displacing 75 families. A plaza in
459-590: The late 18th century, the area eventually became a major centre for the Acadian diaspora. Some Acadian refugees continued south into the United States. Development continued with the construction of a third church in 1784, the first elementary school in 1801, and establishment of the Collège de Nicolet in 1803. The parish of Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-Nicolet was officially opened in 1831; Nicolet's episcopal seat
486-406: The name of Gast river, in honor of Pierre Dugua de Mons (general of New France) and Monet River , in honor of Pierre Monet, sieur de Moras. As for its current name, it owes it to the explorer Jean Nicolet . They also bore the name of the first lords of Nicolet , namely Laubia and Cressé. The Abenakis call it Pithiganitekw , which means 'river of the entrance', due to the fact that it flows near
513-648: The next thirty years. Significant land development began at the opening of the 18th century, with the construction of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Jesuit mission in 1701, a chapel in 1710, a presbytery in 1722, and a second church being raised in 1740. The first Acadian settlers arrived in 1756, after their expulsion by the British, who had defeated the French in the Seven Years' War. During
540-538: The north and south shores of the St. Lawrence. The Centre-du-Québec region is home to several thousand members of the Wabanaki Nation . They are scattered throughout the region, with two major population centres: The highways and roads that serve the region are: Nicolet, Quebec Nicolet ( French pronunciation: [nikɔlɛ(t)] ) is the county seat of Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality , Quebec , Canada . The population as of
567-518: The outlet of lake Saint-Pierre . The toponym "rivière Nicolet" was made official on December 5, 1968 at the Commission de toponymie du Québec . Centre-du-Qu%C3%A9bec Centre-du-Québec ( French pronunciation: [sɑ̃tʁ dy kebɛk] , Central Quebec ) is a region of Quebec , Canada. The main centres are Drummondville , Victoriaville , and Bécancour . It has a land area of 6,930.05 square kilometres (2,675.71 sq mi) and
SECTION 20
#1732788048523594-547: The prior existence of the Champlain Sea, which used to occupy the St. Lawrence and Ottawa valleys post-glaciation. It lies at the eastern edge of Lac Saint-Pierre , a UNESCO biosphere reserve known as a stopping point for hundreds of thousands of migrating waterfowl and a nesting area for herons . The town of Nicolet is adjacent to the city of Bécancour , and across the Saint-Lawrence River from
621-680: The region, is known for its maple syrup production and is known as the Maple Capital of the World ( Capitale Mondiale de l’Érable ). Forestry is also a major industry; the name "Bois-Francs" refers to the French term for hardwood , referring to the high density of hardwood forests in the area. Other major industries of the area include transportation , recycling , woodworking and cabinetmaking . The Centre-du-Québec region derives great benefit from its central location; major centres such as Montreal and Quebec City are within an hour and
648-483: The retreat of the glaciers and fluvioglacial deposits composed of sand and gravel. The basin was inhabited by 96665 inhabitants in 2003. The territory is included in 37 municipalities. The main towns in the basin are Victoriaville (39799 inhabitants), Nicolet (7963 inhabitants) and Val-des-Sources (6627 inhabitants). The river was initially baptized Rivière Du Pont by Samuel de Champlain in 1609 to honor his friend François Gravé , sieur du Pont. It also bore
675-590: The section downstream from Saint-Léonard-d'Aston , it is composed of sedimentary rocks ( schist , dolomite , limestone , sandstone ) in horizontal strata of the St. Lawrence Lowlands . The unconsolidated deposits of the Quaternary of the St. Lawrence Lowlands are composed of clay , sand and gravel from the retreat of the Champlain Sea and peatlands . The Appalachian sector is composed of tills from
702-399: Was established later in 1885. A fourth church was constructed in 1873, suffering the collapse of its steeple shortly thereafter. Attempts to reconstruct it failed due to the weakness of the building's structure. Construction of the second cathedral began in 1897, but a part of the building collapsed in 1899. On June 21, 1906, a fire destroyed an area of the town including both cathedrals and
729-399: Was later the subject of a book by author Louis Caron entitled Le Bonhomme Sept-Heures. The riverfront road where the landslide occurred was named rue du 12 novembre ("12th of November Street") in commemoration. The present cathedral was rebuilt in 1963, and the Collège de Nicolet was converted into the École nationale de police du Québec in 1968. Nicolet is situated at the meeting of
#522477