Transcription: "A brief summary of Quebec's maritime history"

This page includes the written transcript of this podcast, translated into English.

You probably want to tell me that you’ve heard this all before. Right? But since I've been working at the Musée maritime du Québec, I've realized the crucial role that waterways have played in the evolution of our species. We, the Homo sapiens, are the only animal to make complex tools. Throughout our history, we’ve explored different territories thanks to boats designed and built by individuals curious to go further! Imagine... all this history started with simple hollowed out tree trunks! And even though we’re now sedentary creatures, maritime travel is still essential to transport goods and people from one continent to another, or from one part of the river to another.

The St. Lawrence River was then the only major communication and transportation route. Think of all the different types of ships that have passed by L'Islet-sur-Mer over the years! Large exploratory sailing ships, ships loaded with immigrants, liners taking people to Europe, steamships carrying vacationers to resorts, iceboats from the Isle-aux-Grues archipelago, exotically named schooners and catboats, large rowboats for pleasure boating or goose hunting... There’s a very special place here, in the maritime museum, where some of these vessels are displayed: the chalouperie, a space where you can admire the unique know-how of the rowboat artisans of yesteryear. I'll tell you a secret: this is my favourite place in the museum...