Shawinigan

At Shawinigan the Saint-Maurice plunges over a rocky barrier in a great waterfall. Canoe travellers had to leave the river and carry their vessels over the ridge to pass it. The Atikamekw name Achawenekane recalls this portage over the crest, while an Abenaki name likewise refers to a sloping portage. In 1651 the Jesuit Jacques Buteux travelled up the Saint-Maurice to the falls; missionaries visiting the upper river later stopped here on their journeys.