Seigneuries Mitis or the Pieras, Pachot and Lepage-Thibierge

This 1829 map shows the three seigneuries along the Mitis River that were granted during the French Regime. The Seigneurie de Mitis or de Pieras was granted on May 6, 1675 to Jean-Baptiste Sieur de Peiras, the Seigneurie Pachot on January 7, 1689 and the Seigneurie Lepage and Thibierge to Louis Lepage and Gabriel Thibierge on November 14, 1696. These three seigneuries enveloped the Mitis River and were the basis for the settlement of the land in the region.

Sir George Stephen acquired the vestiges of the Seigneuries de Peiras and Pachot in 1886 in order to obtain fishing rights along the entire length of the Metis River from the rivermouth to the falls. Seigneurial properties carried specific rights with them in regard to fishing, conveying the riparian rights (or water rights) to the owner of the property along the river. With later land concessions, the government retained the fishing rights. By owning both sides of the Metis River, Stephen acquired exclusive rights to the fishing. And he exercised his rights systematically, hiring local guides and guardians to protect the pools and to keep poachers at bay. He also removed the many dams and weirs that had been built by the timber companies to re-open the river to the salmon and remove any obstacles that might impede their passage.