AbstractsGeography &GIS

It is the aim of the historical geographer to recreate the geography of past epochs, and to trace the past relationship between man and his physical environment which has resulted in the present landscape. In the following pages an attempt is made to do this with respect to the St. Maurice Valley. There have been three main types of occupance in the valley since the founding of Three Rivers in 1634. At first the settlements were dependent mainly upon the fur-trade, and upon a few small local industries. This was a long period in the history of the St. Maurice Valley and did not end until 1852, mainly because of the treacherous character of the river. The second period was characterised by the exploitation of the forest wealth of the valley, and lasted from 1852—1898. It produced a different cultural landscape with new settlements growing up and older ones becoming redundant. Finally, in the period 1898 to the present, the power of the river has been harnessed to produce electricity. A new industrial region has come into being with new kinds of towns in new locations. The following work thus falls quite logically into three sections. In each of these periods the valley has had a distinctive geography, and although the transitions are not sharp they are clear enough to make such a division useful and valid.