| Saint-Malachie | |
| Settlement Type: | Parish municipality |
| Motto: | Hospitality. Pride. Perseverance. |
| Pushpin Map: | Canada Southern Quebec |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in province of Quebec. |
| Coordinates: | 46.5333°N -116°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Name2: | Chaudière-Appalaches |
| Subdivision Type3: | RCM |
| Subdivision Name3: | Bellechasse |
| Established Title1: | Constituted |
| Established Date1: | June 1, 1874 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Donald Therrien |
| Leader Title1: | Fed. riding |
| Leader Name1: | Lévis—Bellechasse |
| Leader Title2: | Prov. riding |
| Leader Name2: | Bellechasse |
| Area Total Km2: | 103.20 |
| Area Land Km2: | 100.61 |
| Population Total: | 1489 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | 14.8 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Pop 2006-2011 |
| Population Blank1: | 5.8% |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Dwellings |
| Population Blank2: | 800 |
| Timezone: | EST |
| Utc Offset: | −5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −4 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code(s) |
| Postal Code: | G0R 3N0 |
| Area Code: | 418 and 581 |
| Blank Name: | Highways |
| Blank Info: | |
Saint-Malachie is a village of about 1,500 people in the Bellechasse Regional County Municipality, part of the Chaudière-Appalaches administrative region. The Etchemin River goes through the municipality.
St. Malachie was colonized by the Irish and Scottish shortly after the War of 1812. The land was given to several British soldiers in the eastern part of the township of Frampton along the Etchemin River.
The land was then given to Gilbert Henderson (1785-1876), who later became the major landowner in the area. The first settlers came mostly from Armagh, a religious town in Northern Ireland. The town was named St. Malachy after the archbishop of Armagh. The town was civilly erected in 1874, and would later give its name to the municipality of Saint-Malachi-de-Frampton (Frampton Township), but changed once more to St. Malachie in 1948.
The toad invasion of 1873 was quite significant for the town and is embedded in its culture and history to this day. La Crapaudière, the mountain that was named after the toad invasion, is now a special tourist attraction and on which people can hike or walk on and enjoy the scenery.
The original St. Malachie cemetery was the first Catholic cemetery in the upper Châteauguay Valley and dates back to the late 1820s. There was not an official parish at that time, but the cemetery served all residents in St. Malachie and the surrounding areas. The cemetery site is now privately-owned farmland, and the monuments have been dispersed locally. In the 1960s, the local parish arranged to establish a commemorative memorial on the side of the road that it was originally located.[1]
Henderson Manor is a historical landmark located along the Etchemin River and the south end of the village.
The color yellow primarily used in the piece represents Saint-Malachie's dominant industry, which is agriculture (the farming of poultry, dairy, beef and pork products). The two croziers symbolize St. Malachy himself. St. Malachy (1094-1148), the namesake of the municipality, was the Archbishop of Armagh, Ireland. The toad in the coat of arms is representative of the municipality's history, referring to the toad (crapaud in French) infestation of 1873. The toad infestation of 1873 gave rise to the name La Crapaudière, a mountain in the area that was particularly affected by the toad invasion. Finally the shamrocks symbolizes the Irish roots of Saint-Malachy's pioneers.[2]
St. Malachie is surrounded by Tough Creek and the South Etchemin River, among other bodies of water and lakes. In season, it is a great spot to go hunting and go fishing, most notably for speckled trout.
St. Malachie is also home to Mont Kinsella, a mountain peak which provides a panoramic view of the town. It is ranked as the 871st highest mountain in Quebec.[3]
The Committee footpath is a scenic trail throughout St. Malachie measuring 27.3 kilometers long. It runs along the forest areas and it is equipped with resting areas in places where nature can be easily admired. The footpath is also equipped with stairs and panels which indicate the species and natural vegetation you may see along the path. The footpath is closed during the winter season and reopened in the spring.[4]
St. Malachie follows the four distinct seasons of spring, summer, winter and fall and it is located in the northeastern tip of North America.
It follows three types of climate throughout the seasons: humid, subarctic and arctic. Daily sunshine duration is eight hours in December, the time of year when it is the shortest.[5]
The small population is renowned for its agriculture and parishes. The religious architectural heritage is very prevalent in this town and displays much of the Irish presence.
One resident of Saint-Malachie is international artist Viviane Gruais Domenge. She paints using mixed media and has had exhibitions in France, Belgium, Italy and across Canada. She paints mostly abstract nature scenes that have been shown around the world [6]
Two-time Olympic athlete Marie-Michèle Gagnon was born and raised in Lac Etchemin. She is a world-renowned alpine ski racer specializing in slalom. She represented Canada in Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014.
In 2009, Portage Rehabilitation Centre was established in St. Malachie. It catered specifically to French-speaking adolescents dealing with drug abuse issues. However, adults and parents of the adolescents can also be provided service at Portage. Residents of Portage partake in socio-economic and socio-cultural activities within St. Malachie such as projects to help and assist with the growth of Atlantic salmon in the Etchemin River and expeditions on the mountains of St. Malachie, including La Crapaudière and Mont Kinsella. [7]
St. Malachie has multiple organizations that cater to a large spectrum of people. These include:
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Saint-Malachie had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 101.07km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[9]