Lake Saint-Jean

Pekuakami, the “flat, shallow lake” later called Saint-Jean, lies at the meeting of many rivers in the forested interior north of the St Lawrence. Its waters flow east into the Saguenay, while routes up the Ashuapmushuan and other rivers reach deep into the peninsula. The Pekuakamiulnuatsh, the Ilnu people of the lake, travelled its shores and waterways to fish, hunt and meet other families.

In 1647 the Jesuit Jean de Quen reached the lake with Indigenous guides after travelling up the Saguenay. French records rendered its name Piouagamik; the French name Saint-Jean followed. Fur trading grew around the lake, with Ilnu hunters supplying posts while continuing their seasonal journeys. By 1831 the Hudson's Bay Company held a regional monopoly, and families gathered by canoe at Métabetchouan in summer to trade and attend the mission before returning along the lake's shores.