Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain

Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ pʁɔspɛʁ də ʃɑ̃plɛ̃]) is a municipality of 482 people in the Les Chenaux Regional County Municipality, in Quebec, Canada. It is the smallest municipality in terms of population in the regional county.^[3]

Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain
Municipality
Agricultural zone, Rang Ste-Elisabeth
Location within Les Chenaux RCM
Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain Location in central Quebec
Coordinates: 46°37′N 72°17′W
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Mauricie
RCM	Les Chenaux
Settled	c. 1850
Constituted	July 1, 1855
Government [1]
• Mayor	France Bédard
• Federal riding	Saint-Maurice—Champlain
• Prov. riding	Champlain
Area [1][2]
• Total	93.00 km2 (35.91 sq mi)
• Land	94.11 km2 (36.34 sq mi)
	There is an apparent contradiction between two authoritative sources
Population  (2021)[2]
• Total	482
• Density	5.1/km2 (13/sq mi)
• Pop 2016-2021	9.1%
• Dwellings	264
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G0X 3A0
Area code	418
Highways	R-159
Website	www.st-prosper.ca

Before September 4, 2010, it was known simply as Saint-Prosper, on that date, the municipality of the parish of Saint-Prosper became the municipality of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain.^[4]

History

One hundred girls and women during the centennial of the parish, 1848–1948

Around the Natal Church Bell Tower, historical notes on the parish of Saint-Prosper

« ... Et cependant que de progrès déjà accomplis au milieu de vous, non-seulement sous le rapport religieux; mais encore pour la vie matérielle ! Au dire de connaisseurs, vous êtes de tout mon diocèse les plus avancés en agriculture et en industrie laitière. Vos champs se couvrent d'abondantes moissons, malgré les intempéries des saisons et quelquefois les oppositions persistantes du sol; vos troupeaux ravissent les prix aux expositions; et vos produits laitiers, exportés par des vôtres sur les marchés étrangers, en rapportent de notables bénéfices.

Aussi l'aisance est générale à Saint- Prosper, et c'est à peine si on y trouve assez de nécessiteux, pour sauvegarder la parole de Notre-Seigneur; Pauperes enim semper habetis vobis (Jean-12-8) »

— F-X. Ev : des Trois-Rivières. Evêché des Trois- Rivières, 21 novembre 1908.^[5]

Rivière-aux-Rats, O Dontigny, and Mgr. François-Xavier Cloutier, Bishop of Trois-Rivières, 1900

The area opened up for colonization in the middle of the 19th century, and in 1850 the Parish of Saint-Prosper was established out of the territories of Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan and Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade. It was named after Prosper of Aquitaine possibly by Bishop Joseph Signay who wanted to emphasize the "prosperity" of the first settlers, who were poor but brave. In 1853, its post office opened, and two years later, the Parish Municipality of Saint-Prosper was formed, with Augustin Massicotte as first mayor.^[6][7]

In 1861, Saint-Prosper had 1028 inhabitants, and at the start of 1900, there were nearly 1500 persons.^[7]

On December 31, 2001, it was transferred from the Francheville Regional County to the new Les Chenaux Regional County, following the creation of the new City of Trois-Rivières and the dissolution of the Francheville RCM.^[6]

Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain

• Wide open spaces in the St. Lawrence Lowlands
• 
  Bike tour, activity organized by the Recreation Committee, rue de l'Église
• 
  Catholic parish cemetery, rue de l'Église
• 
  March 2008, rue Principale (Quebec road 159),
• 
  Rural and agricultural zone, rang Saint-Charles
• 
  Alte of a flock of snow geese, chemin des Trente-Trois
• 
  Harvest, chemin du Cordon,^[8][9]

• Lake, creeks and rivers of the Sainte-Anne River drainage basin
• 
  A la Barbotte Lake,^[10] source of Gendron Creek, Laurentians, access by Route des Prairies
• 
  Cossette Creek,^[11] tributary of Gendron Creek, under the Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain Bridge (Trans Canada Trail)
• 
  Gendron Creek,^[12] tributary of Charest River, from bridge P-17092,^[13] Chemin Saint-Édouard
• 
  Charest River, tributary of Sainte-Anne River, from bridge TR-2/TR-1, Route Fraser

• Heritages, Structures, Traditions
• 
  1900, Farm Claïr Massicotte and Éléonore(Élée) Trudel, some of their 11 or 12 children, horses, dog and wheel, rang Saint-Augustin
• 
  1940, private residences, general store, gas station, Principale Street (Quebec Route 159)
• 
  1940, Main Street (Quebec Route 159), dirt roads, boardwalks, intersection of Route de l'Église
• 
  Former railway line (CN)^[14] converted to the Trans Canada Trail,^[15] Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain Bridge, over Cossette Creek
• 
  2020, time and wood donated each year (corvée), by parishioners, for the heating of the church,^[16] rue de l'Église

Geography

The territory of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain is mainly part of the Sainte-Anne River watershed. However, a small area to the west, bordering Saint-Stanislas and Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan, is part of the Batiscanie region. The Charest River crosses the eastern part of the municipality from north-east to south-east.

Demographics

Population

Canada census – Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	482 (-9.1% from 2016)	530 (5.0% from 2011)	505 (-6.7% from 2006)
Land area	94.11 km2 (36.34 sq mi)	94.02 km2 (36.30 sq mi)	93.68 km2 (36.17 sq mi)
Population density	5.1/km2 (13/sq mi)	5.6/km2 (15/sq mi)	5.4/km2 (14/sq mi)
Median age	56.8 (M: 56.4, F: 57.2)	52.8 (M: 53.4, F: 52.2)	51.8 (M: 51.5, F: 52.2)
Private dwellings	264 (total)	267 (total)	268 (total)
Median household income	$55,600	$47,744	$46,731

References: 2021^[17] 2016^[18] 2011^[19]

Population trend:^[20]

• Population in 2021: 482 (2016 to 2021 population change: -9.1%)
• Population in 2016: 530
• Population in 2011: 505
• Population in 2006: 541
• Population in 2001: 531
• Population in 1996: 548
• Population in 1991: 584
• Population in 1986: 628
• Population in 1981: 663
• Population in 1976: 797
• Population in 1971: 886
• Population in 1966: 999
• Population in 1961: 1,129
• Population in 1956: 1,230
• Population in 1951: 1,172
• Population in 1941: 1,133
• Population in 1931: 1,167
• Population in 1921: 1,187
• Population in 1911: 1,316
• Population in 1901: 1,334
• Population in 1891: 1,358
• Population in 1881: 1,382
• Population in 1871: 1,147
• Population in 1861: 1,028

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 244 (total dwellings: 264)

Mother tongue:

• English as first language: 0%
• French as first language: 99%
• English and French as first language: 0%
• Other as first language: 0%

See also

• Charest River
• Rivière à Veillet
• Les Chenaux Regional County Municipality
• Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain

External links

• Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain : la maison au cadran / Edgar Gariépy - photo 1926, Archives de Montréal
• Gendron Bridge at 2nd Row Saint-Édouard in Saint-Prosper, Champlain County, photo 1994, on BAnQ Quebec
• Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain, Répertoire des municipalités, Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation Quebec
• Harmonized Regulations respecting Public Safety and Protection of Persons and Property, (in French), 22 décembre 2020. Note : Le présent règlement s’applique sur l’ensemble des territoires des municipalités de la MRC des Chenaux faisant partie de l’Entente relative à la fourniture de services de police par la Sûreté du Québec sur le territoire de la M.R.C., soit Batiscan, Champlain, Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan, Saint-Luc-de-Vincennes, Saint-Maurice (Québec), Saint-Narcisse, Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain et Saint-Stanislas (Les Chenaux).