Godbout, Quebec

For people with the surname Godbout, see Godbout (surname).

Godbout
Village municipality
Ferry arriving in Godbout
Motto:  Viens y voir
Godbout Location in Côte-Nord region of Quebec.
Coordinates: 49°19′N 67°36′W
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Côte-Nord
RCM	Manicouagan
Settled	1684 (trading post)
Constituted	January 1, 1955
Government
• Mayor	Alain Labrie
• Federal riding	Manicouagan
• Prov. riding	René-Lévesque
Area
• Total	202.40 km2 (78.15 sq mi)
• Land	161.34 km2 (62.29 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	298
• Density	1.8/km2 (5/sq mi)
• Pop 2006-2011	17.5%
• Dwellings	195
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G0H 1G0
Area code(s)	418 and 581
Highways	R-138
Census profile	2496010
MAMROT info	96010
Toponymie info	25711
Website	www.godbout.info

Godbout is a village municipality in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the mouth of the Godbout River on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River.

Godbout is accessible via Quebec Route 138 and by ferry from Matane.

History

The native Innu hunted and fished near the mouth of the river that they called "Eddy River". This stream was renamed in honour of Nicolas Godeboust (1634–1674), who served as navigator and river pilot along the North Shore before becoming a settler on Orléans Island in 1670. That same year, Jesuit missionary Charles Albanel made mention of the "Godebout River" where he had met an indigenous group from the Sept-Îles area, the Oumamioueks. And Jean-Baptiste-Louis Franquelin referred to this river as "Godebou" on his map of 1684.

In 1684, a fur trading post was established at the river, and then indigenous groups settled around the post. They remained along the coast, hunting on the gulf in the winter and salmon fishing during the summer, but for a part of autumn they returned into the forest. After 1720, the post gained importance due to the seal hunt. Seals were hunted not only for their meat, but also for the fat that was melted, put in barrels, and sold cheaply.

Godbout's church

Circa 1850, the Godbout region — from Pointe-des-Monts to Pointe à la Croix — counted up to twenty-five families of Innu seal hunters. But from 1860 onward, the French population really began to grow. At first, they were former employees of the trading post that by then was managed by the Hudson's Bay Company. First, a certain Théodule Savard, then the son of another employee, Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau, who moved to the village in his early teenage years. Comeau managed the salmon fishing and guarded against poachers. The Innu lost access to the river and were prevented from exercising their traditional subsistence fishing for salmon. Consequently, the indigenous population gradually decreased and at the end of the 19th century, few indigenous families remained and most had moved to the Betsiamites Reserve.

In 1877, the Godbout Post Office opened. The place developed quickly when a forestry company, the St-Régis, started large scale logging operations in the interior forests. This led to new infrastructure such as a wharf, a dam, a log flume, and a network of roads to the various logging camps. In the village, it led to the construction of a hotel, shops, houses, a cookery, and a clinic. In 1926, the local parish was formed. In 1933, an attempt was made to set up a municipality but that was not realized until 1955.

In 1971, the St-Régis mill closed, leading to job loss and economic hardship in Godbout. The younger people would seek work elsewhere, resulting in some aging of the population. But this trend is somewhat reversed with the development of tourism in the area.

Demographics

Population

Canada census – Godbout, Quebec community profile

	2011
Population	298 (-17.5% from 2006)
Land area	161.34 km2 (62.29 sq mi)
Population density	1.8/km2 (4.7/sq mi)
Median age	58.0 (M: 58.4, F: 56.9)
Private dwellings	195 (total)
Median household income	$37,734

References: 2011 earlier

Historical Census Data - Godbout, Quebec

Year Pop. ±% 1991 391 —

Year Pop. ±% 1996 390 −0.3%

Year Pop. ±% 2001 327 −16.2%

Year Pop. ±% 2006 361 +10.4%

Year Pop. ±% 2011 298 −17.5%

Language

Canada Census Mother Tongue - Godbout, Quebec
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2011		295		295	10.6%	100.00%		0	0.0%	0.00%		0	0.0%	0.00%		0	100.0%	0.00%
2006		360		330	1.5%	91.67%		0	0.0%	0.00%		0	0.0%	0.00%		30	n/a%	8.33%
2001		325		325	13.3%	100.00%		0	100.0%	0.00%		0	0.0%	0.00%		0	0.0%	0.00%
1996		385		375	n/a	97.40%		10	n/a	2.60%		0	n/a	0.00%		0	n/a	0.00%

Panoramic view of Godbout's waterfront and ferry

Economy

The Matane—Godbout ferry is the village's main employer, either through direct employment, or by creating business for nearby restaurants and caterers. Tourism also provides opportunities for outfitters by catering to salmon fishing and other seasonal outdoor activities.