History Private Clubs

Interview with Annie Tremblay, President and General Manager of La Seigneurie du Triton

Close-up of Annie Tremblay, in interview format, sitting outside in front of the Seigneurie du Triton clubhouse. On-screen text: Annie Tremblay.

Annie Tremblay: I am Annie Tremblay, President and General Manager of La Seigneurie du Triton. It’s a family business and I am a real history buff!

[Music]

On-screen text: La Seigneurie du Triton, Mauricie. Aerial shot of the Seigneurie’s vast domain with its lodge, its clubhouses and its cottages. We see pictures of the surrounding forests and waterways. Video footage of a fly-fisher standing in his boat, a photographer with a camera admiring the scenery, an expanse of water and a taxi boat transporting passengers. Close-up of Annie Tremblay, in interview format, sitting outside in front of the Seigneurie du Triton clubhouse.

Annie Tremblay: La Seigneurie du Triton is located in Upper Mauricie and covers 50 square kilometres. It holds exclusive rights and offers trout fishing and nature observation. Accessible only by water, the domain is in a class of its own!

[Music]

Fast-paced video footage of a canoe plying the waves, with buildings visible in the distance. Aerial shot of a taxi boat landing at a dock, with a sign reading “La Seigneurie du Triton.” A historic photo of the founder, Alexander Luders Light, and an old map of La Seigneurie’s domain. Close-up of Annie Tremblay, in interview format, sitting outside in front of the Seigneurie du Triton clubhouse.

Annie Tremblay: We owe our location here to Alexander Luders Light, who was in fact a railway engineer assigned to developing the line between Montréal and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean. He discovered this domain. He was a great fan of fishing, hunting and outdoor recreation. Since he was heading into retirement, he decided to come spend his golden years here. So he went to see the government. His primary goal was to secure land so that he could protect it over time, and that’s how Triton Fish & Game Club was born in 1893. The club hosted only very rich Americans. It was a club up until the mid-1940s. The club accepted only men up until the time that women were allowed to come here to hunt and fish. But at mealtimes, the women had to leave and take their meals elsewhere so that the men could discuss their day in peace and quiet in the dining room.

[Music]

Video footage of framed black-and-white photos of the founder. Shot of a historic document and an old map of the Triton Fish & Game Club domain. Wide shot of a chimney mantel decorated with photos of historic figures who visited the site in the past. Image of a door and a hand-painted sign reading “Ladies,” and a view of the dining room. Fast-paced succession of three Seigneurie du Triton buildings. Close-up of Annie Tremblay, in interview format, sitting outside the Seigneurie du Triton lodge.

Annie Tremblay: The expansion of private clubs in Québec occurred in the mid-1800s. It was a time when the government was looking to bring new money into the province. It was a good way to get Americans, who loved hunting and fishing, to come and get to know the spot. This site has drawn people like Roosevelt, Churchill, the Molson families and the Kennedys, so it was a very select, very prestigious club. In the mid-1970s, the Québec government decided to reorganize its territory to make Québec’s hunting and fishing domains more accessible to its own population. So that was when outfitting establishments started expanding their domain. It was time to open up the site and make it accessible. What people are looking for when they come to La Seigneurie, even now, is to be welcomed like a lord back in the day. After all, it’s called La Seigneurie du Triton! So that’s important for us! Today, when people come to La Seigneurie, they want to get that feeling, but it continues to be accessible all the same. We are open to our clients, people who come here with their families, a special someone or just friends too. We want it to be a friendly place that people can enjoy. For us, that’s really the heart of our mission: to give guests a chance to discover this site and to feel like a lord of old.

[Music]

Video excerpts of tables, fishing trophies and mounted game animals. On-screen text: The chair of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States. A few video images of the President’s chair in La Seigneurie’s living room.

Shot of a sign hanging outside the main entrance: “Terrain privé” [Private land]. Outdoor video footage of Ms. Tremblay greeting a couple on their arrival. Footage of several activities offered by the outfitter and a few buildings, including the fishing shack, where employees provide good fishing tips. Other shots show vacationers enjoying a rabaska outing, and several staff members including a waitress, a fishing guide and housekeeping personnel taking care of clients. Video footage of couples and families relaxing and fishing. Close-up of Annie Tremblay, in interview format, sitting outside in front of the Seigneurie du Triton clubhouse.

[Closing music]

Aerial shot of La Seigneurie du Triton.

On-screen text: History of Private Clubs: La Seigneurie du Triton.