Work Archives | Touring the Gaspé Peninsula – The History of an Epic Road Trip

The Gaspé – One of Canada’s 10 Top Maple Leaf Vacations

“Just like a trip abroad” is how the Gaspé is pitched in this Canadian National Railways advertisement that appeared in The New Yorker magazine in May, 1952. Proximity […]

Honouring Gaspésians

Mary Travers, known was Quebec’s first star chansonnière. Born in the fishing village of Newport, she brought her ear for sound and music to create a rich repertoire […]

Rebuilding the Highway

By the 1950s, the Perron Boulevard was thought to be old and antiquated. Barely wide enough for two vehicles, it was thought to be dangerous and in need […]

The Last Outpost

Sainte-Anne-des-Monts was for decades the last outpost along the northern slope of the Gaspé Peninsula. It was where the road ended, quite literally. Only a walking path connected […]

Artists at Work

Even when on vacation, artists are rarely without a brush or a sketchbook. Some artists choose to live where others vacation. Suzanne Guité grew up in Percé and […]

A Guild to Promote Handicrafts

A movement to promote handicrafts took hold in Quebec in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Anthropologist Marius Barbeau inventoried craftsmen and women throughout the province and organized exhibitions to […]

Youthful Gaspésie

Lida Moser was one photographer who was as interested in the people selling handicrafts as the handicrafts themselves. Her work had appeared in American fashion magazines. In 1950, […]

Roadside Souvenirs

Selling handicrafts and woven goods was an important source of income for many families along the Gaspé coast. They were made by women during the dark winter months […]

Key Selling Points

What were the key selling points for hotels and operators in the Gaspé? Was it price, comfort, hot running water or proximity to the seashore? None of the […]

Building the Roads

The journalists and drivers who drove the Gaspé tour for the first time during the summer of 1929 were generous in their praise. One of them reported: The […]

Out with the Old, in with the New

…its chronic weakness and general decrepitude The bridge over the Metis River was at the end of its life when the new Gaspé highway was built. The local […]

Train Travel – A Technological Leap

Railways changed everything. Train travel was a technological leap, moving goods and people quickly, safely and efficiently. The Intercolonial Railway began regular service from Lévis to Halifax in […]