A trip to the Côte de Beaupré
	(the Beaupré shore of the Saint-Lawrence River).
	On Sunday, July 12, 1998, I had the good fortune to visit the region of Château-Richer accompanied by my friends Jean-Marc and Ange-Aimée as well as having the honour of meeting a remarkable guide in the person of Henri Cloutier. Here is a summary of the day which I spent in the country of our ancestor Zacharie.

The day started off overcast but cleared up and we had the pleasure of visiting the Côte de Beaupré on a beautiful summer day. After meeting Jean-Marc and Ange-Aimée in a parking lot on the south shore, we headed for our first stop, the Auberge (Inn) Baker on the Avenue Royale in Chateau Richer. To reach our destination, we crossed the old Quebec Bridge, passed through the historic section of Quebec, and then took Ste-Anne Boulevard east passing in front of Montmorency Falls and the bridge leading to the Isle of Orleans.

Driving east on Ste-Anne Boulevard, it was fairly difficult to find the Auberge Baker, especially as it was raining heavily. Our driver, Jean-Marc, recognized the spot on our left and we made a 90-degree turn onto a small road located about 500 feet from the Boulevard to arrive at the back of the Auberge Baker. We were approximately 28 kilometers from Quebec City. 

Comfort and good food in the heart of the countryside.

A residence for 150 years, the Auberge Baker, from the dining room to each of the magnificent guestrooms, has been redecorated with great care to maintain an authenticity. We sat down for brunch accompanied by Henri who was to be our guide to visit the area. The food was excellent, the service and cleanliness were impeccable. After stuffing ourselves with a succulent meal, we called Gaston Cloutier, the proprietor who showed us this residence transformed into a country inn in 1935 by a certain Alvin A. Baker.

Following the route of the chemin Royal – Château-Richer

As I did not take notes, my humble guide Henri will forgive me if I overlook small details of this trip. At Château-Richer, most people make the mistake of driving on Ste-Anne Boulevard (Highway 138). I made the same mistake when I was living in Quebec. However, this time the extensive knowledge of Henri made us see all the points of interest that a sharp eye could detect. Among the sights, were root cellars, places well sheltered from the rigors of winter and the heat of our summers, used to store food all year long. Henri has one on the north side of the chemin Royal that I had the pleasure of visiting with an air of astonishment worthy of the first settlers. 

Henri Cloutier, as mayor of Beaupré, was well qualified to guide us on our visit of this beautiful cluster of villages. We tasted maple-sugar treats at Chez Marie, a spot well known to tourists. Tourist buses are constantly stopping one after the other to taste these maple-sugar delights. We also made a stop at the Jean Cloutier House (son of Zacharie), built at the end of the 17^th century on land granted to Zacharie in 1652. A feature of this house, as with many of the old houses in the village, is that it is situated right on the edge of the chemin Royal. Next, a stop at the "Maison des Cloutier", a magnificent painting of which is shown on this web site. Unfortunately, the owner has earned the reputation of chasing away anyone who stops on his property, so we just had time to take a picture, no more. 
 

Archives and cultural property of Château-Richer

The municipal council of the city of Château-Richer created the Municipal Commission for Archives and Cultural Property of Château-Richer in 1993. In addition to overseeing the conservation of the cultural heritage, the Commission helps us learn about cultural and religious treasures. The descendants of Zacharie Cloutier will appreciate these treasures. There is also a permanent exhibition of photos. More and more, the preservation of our cultural heritage is becoming a preoccupation of our society. We feel the need to identify our ancestors and to understand how they lived, their values and their resources. We often hear said that we will know where to go once we understand where we have been! Take the time to visit the offices in the presbytery, the staff will take pleasure in helping you in your research. As for me, I left with a number of archive documents, thanks to the generosity of Jean-Marc. These documents will help me enrich the quality of the Internet site of l’Association des Cloutier d’Amérique.

We visited the area from east to west. Even though the population is small, the town stretches over 25 kilometers in length. Here is a description of the town as presented in a brochure produced by the Interpretation Centre of the Côte de Beaupré.  

At Château-Richer, the chemin Royal descends onto the plain which borders the Saint-Lawrence River and hugs the contours of the escarpment. The countryside becomes more intimate. On one side we notice beautiful maple sugar bushhes and on the other we rediscover the plain which stretches all the way to the river. The name "Château-Richer" appears for the first time on a map of Jean Bourdon (engineer and senior government official), dated 1641. "County seat" of the seigneury of Beaupré, property of the Quebec Seminary, Château-Richer obtained its municipal charter in 1753.

In 1695, on the Petit-Pré River, monseigneur Laval (first Bishop of Quebec) built the first industrial mill to grind the wheat of New France. Restored in 1980, the Petit-Pré mill today houses the Interpretation Centre of the Côte de Beaupré.

The agricultural nature of the countryside becomes evident by the large number of farms, outbuildings and most of all the concentration of small buildings called "root cellars". Dug into the escarpment, they were used to preserve fruits and vegetables. Several are still in use. On a bluff in the centre of the village, the settlers built a presbytery and cemetery in 1834 and then a church in 1865.