Social History Archives | The birth of Rouyn and Noranda: a mining story

The Construction of Perrault Street

This photo was taken on Perrault Street, from an eastern vantage point, on the corner of Du Portage Street and Principale Street. The photographer was standing on the […]

Du Portage and Perrault Streets in Rouyn

The corner of Du Portage and Perrault Street around 1926. The stumps have not been fully cleared from the lots and the streets yet, and several buildings are […]

Several Buildings Once Located in the Short-lived Village of Mercier

In Mercier, there were a few places of residence, Arthur Desrochés’ restaurant, a general store and a dormitory.

The Albert Hotel

Located on Principale Street in Rouyn, Albert Hotel was administered by Albert Coutu and his wife Elisa for a long time. On November 11, 1938, a fire broke […]

The Bellevue Hotel in the Early Days of Rouyn

The Bellevue Hotel was built in the early days of Rouyn and was located on Taschereau Street. In the background, left of the hotel, you can see the […]

A Sauna in Rouyn, 1926

In the middle of the 1920s, people from Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland) arrived in the Rouyn township. Many worked in mines, but some them owned […]

Several Police Officers Near the Fences of the Horne Mine

A contingent of police officers assembled to control the strike of June 1934. Sergeant Turnbull, the Provincial Police Chief, hurriedly returned from his trip to Québec City to […]

A Crowd Gathered Outside the Horne Mine Entrance

On June 12, 1934, at the beginning of the strike, several hundred strikers and sympathizers joined in a picket line in front of the Horne mine gates. They […]

Interview with Rémi Jodouin About the Foreigners Strike of June 1934

Interviewer: Did you experience one of the first strikes that happened over here in 1934? Rémi Jodouin: Yes, but from afar if you will, because I was in […]

Vantage Point of the Rouyn South Church with Rouyn and Noranda in the background.

On July 22, 1938, Louis Réhaume, the Bishop of the Diocese of Hailbury, entrusted the Immaculée-Conception Parish of Rouyn South to the fathers of the Oblates of Mary […]

Rouyn City in 1939

In the late 1930s, Armand Senécal was a travelling salesman for the Salada Tea Company and visited several mining towns in Abitibi. He took the opportunity to shoot […]

St George Russian Orthodox Church of Rouyn

The construction of St George Russian Orthodox Church started in 1955 after the appointment of Father Feodor Ustutschenkow. Several fund-raising campaigns were launched to raise financial support for […]