The Human Side of Lake Saint-Pierre
The Archipelago
In the late 1970s, Rita and Yvan Lanctôt purchased a beautiful house on Île d'Embarras. Although they owned the house, the Beauchemin family retained the title to the land until the 1990s. All property on the island was once owned by the Beauchemins, who would not allow it to be transferred to anyone outside their family. Locals often refer to the island as Île des Beauchemin.
Yvan Lanctôt is passionate about history and genealogy. He tells how the story of this house began when Paul Beauchemin bought land on Île d'Embarras to build a home, where he and his wife Aurélie raised their thirteen children. When the children reached marriageable age, Paul Beauchemin gave them plots on the island to build their own homes.
Their son Louis built his own home in 1887, where he lived with his wife Marie and their nine children.
This charming house, filled with the memories of generations of Beauchemins, is now home to Rita and Yvan Lanctôt. Here, time almost seems to stand still. Two historic photographs on the walls stand guard over the house. Looking at them, you can't avoid noticing the proud expressions of the first colonists to settle on Île d'Embarras, who seem to remind you that this land belongs to the Beauchemins.
Several small outbuildings stand near the house; some of them were used for storage.
Animals were kept in this building. During spring floods, they would be brought up onto the second floor.
Around 1940, Berthe Beauchemin began to sell her famous gibelotte, a fish and vegetable soup. This dish remains very popular in the Sorel-Tracy region.
