Baie-Johan-Beetz, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Baie-Johan-Beetz is a municipality
and village in the Côte-Nord
region of the province
of Quebec
in Canada
, located some 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) east of Havre-Saint-Pierre
. It has the lowest population of all incorporated places in the Côte-Nord region.
, and one family came from Berthier-sur-Mer
. The place was originally identified as "Piastre Bay", from the Innu expression piashite-pets, meaning "there where the water passes over/on top", or possibly originating from the word piashtibé, meaning "dry bay" or "where the water rises", which is a reference to the local bay that during low tide runs dry.
But the bay's name was spelled in a variety of ways, including Piashti Bay, Pillage Bay, Baie-de-Pillage, Piastibe, Piashte Bay, and Piestebé. Perhaps for this reason, its residents expressed a desire to change the village's name to Baie-Johan-Beetz in 1910. Johan Beetz (1874-1949) was a Belgian
naturalist
, who lived in the Bay from 1897 to 1922. He had moved there to breed fur animals, particularly foxes, and built a luxurious manor that residents today call le château (the castle). The bay was renamed in 1914, but the name was not officially adopted until 1965 when the place was incorporated.
In 1996, Highway 138
was extended to Baie-Johan-Beetz, linking it to the municipality of Havre-Saint-Pierre and thereby breaking its isolation.
Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 44 (total dwellings: 49)
Mother tongue:
Types of municipalities in Quebec
The following is a list of the types of local and supralocal territorial units in Quebec, including those used solely for statistical purposes, as defined by the Institut de la Statistique du Québec....
and village in the Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord is the second largest administrative region by land area in Quebec, Canada, after Nord-du-Québec...
region of the province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, located some 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) east of Havre-Saint-Pierre
Havre-Saint-Pierre, Quebec
Havre-Saint-Pierre is a town situated on Pointe-aux-Esquimaux, which is on the Quebec north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Canada...
. It has the lowest population of all incorporated places in the Côte-Nord region.
History
The first settlers came from the Magdalen IslandsMagdalen Islands
The Magdalen Islands form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of . Though closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian province of Quebec....
, and one family came from Berthier-sur-Mer
Berthier-sur-Mer, Quebec
Berthier-sur-Mer is a town in the Montmagny Regional County Municipality within the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River, east of Quebec City on Route 132....
. The place was originally identified as "Piastre Bay", from the Innu expression piashite-pets, meaning "there where the water passes over/on top", or possibly originating from the word piashtibé, meaning "dry bay" or "where the water rises", which is a reference to the local bay that during low tide runs dry.
But the bay's name was spelled in a variety of ways, including Piashti Bay, Pillage Bay, Baie-de-Pillage, Piastibe, Piashte Bay, and Piestebé. Perhaps for this reason, its residents expressed a desire to change the village's name to Baie-Johan-Beetz in 1910. Johan Beetz (1874-1949) was a Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
, who lived in the Bay from 1897 to 1922. He had moved there to breed fur animals, particularly foxes, and built a luxurious manor that residents today call le château (the castle). The bay was renamed in 1914, but the name was not officially adopted until 1965 when the place was incorporated.
In 1996, Highway 138
Quebec route 138
Route 138 is a major highway in the Canadian province of Quebec, following the entire north shore of the Saint Lawrence River past Montreal to the eastern terminus in Natashquan on the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The western terminus is in Elgin, at the border with New York State south-west of Montreal...
was extended to Baie-Johan-Beetz, linking it to the municipality of Havre-Saint-Pierre and thereby breaking its isolation.
Demographics
Population trend:- Population in 2006: 95 (2001 to 2006 population change: 6.7 %)
- Population in 2001: 89
- Population in 1996: 85
- Population in 1991: 107
Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 44 (total dwellings: 49)
Mother tongue:
- English as first language: 0 %
- French as first language: 100 %
- English and French as first language: 0 %
- Other as first language: 0 %