Marsoui, Quebec

Marsoui
Village municipality
Church in Marsoui Church in Marsoui
Location within La Haute-Gaspésie RCM. Location within La Haute-Gaspésie RCM.
Marsoui Location in eastern Quebec.
Coordinates:
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine
RCM	La Haute-Gaspésie
Settled	1830s
Constituted	January 1, 1950
Government
• Mayor	Jovette Gasse
• Federal riding	Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia
• Prov. riding	Gaspé
Area
• Total	177.10 km2 (68.38 sq mi)
• Land	183.63 km2 (70.90 sq mi)
	There is an apparent contradiction between two authoritative sources
Population (2011)
• Total	309
• Density	1.7/km2 (4/sq mi)
• Pop 2006-2011	9.4%
• Dwellings	177
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s)	G0E 1S0
Area code(s)	418 and 581
Highways	Route 132
Website	www.marsoui.com

Marsoui is a village municipality in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of Quebec, Canada.

The name Marsoui is thought to originate from the Mi'kmaq word malseoui, meaning "flint" which is abundant in the area. However, another theory explains that it comes from the French word marsouin, the vernacular term for porpoise or beluga whale that used to be present in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in large numbers. Alternate spellings used over time were Marsouis, Marsoin, and Marsouins.

History

While the beluga hunt and cod fishing was popular in this area during the late 17th century, it was not until 1836 that the first permanent settlers, the Henley family of Mont-Louis, arrived. They were followed by people from Jersey.

In 1890, the Mission of Sainte-Émélie-de-Marsoui was founded there, and 3 years later, the local post office opened. Subsistence fishing was the main economic activity until 1911. Then a small saw mill was built that started the transformation to a forestry-based economy. Over the following decades, several saw mills burnt down and were rebuilt.

During the Prohibition era in the United States, Marsoui was a favorite hideout for smugglers fleeing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

In 1923, the villages of Marsoui and Rivière-à-la-Marthe separated from the municipality of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts to form the Township Municipality of Christie. In turn, Marsoui separated from this township in 1950 to be incorporated as a village municipality. Its first mayor was Alphonse Couturier, whose company had built a large saw mill in Marsoui in 1940.

From 1945 to 1954, a lead and zinc mine operated about 21 kilometres (13 mi) southwest of Marsoui.

Demographics

Population

Historical Census Data - Marsoui, Quebec
Year Pop. ±% 1991 475 —     1996 440 −7.4%	Year Pop. ±% 2001 373 −15.2% 2006 341 −8.6%	Year Pop. ±% 2011 309 −9.4%

Economy

The primary industry of Marsoui is forestry. The Bois Marsoui GDS mill supports 60% of its population. There is also a small tourism industry, including 2 commercial sugar houses. Other businesses provide local commercial and public services.

See also

• List of village municipalities in Quebec