| Saint-Malachie | |
| Settlement Type: | Parish municipality |
| Flag Alt: | Flag |
| Shield Alt: | Coat of arms |
| 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: | Larry Quigley |
| 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 located in the Bellechasse Regional County Municipality, part of the Chaudière-Appalaches administrative region. The Etchemin River runs through the municipality.
Saint-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 granted to Gilbert Henderson (1785–1876), who later became the major landowner in the area. The first settlers came mainly from the county town of Armagh, in Northern Ireland. The town was named after Saint Malachy, the archbishop of Armagh. The town was civilly erected in 1874 and would later give its name to the municipality of Saint-Malachie-de-Frampton (Frampton Township) before adopting its current name 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 named after the toad invasion (from the French crapaud), once an operating ski hill, is now a special tourist attraction where people gather to hike and enjoy the scenery.
The original village 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 of Saint-Malachie and the surrounding areas. The site is now privately-owned farmland, and its monuments have been dispersed locally. In the 1960s, the local parish arranged to establish a commemorative memorial on the side of the road where it was originally located.
Henderson Manor, a historical landmark, is located along the Etchemin River at the south end of the village.
The colour yellow represents Saint-Malachie's dominant industry, agriculture; namely, the farming of poultry, dairy, beef, and pork products. The two croziers symbolize the municipality's namesake, Saint Malachy, a 12th century Archbishop of Armagh. The toad, centered, calls back to the great infestation of 1873.[1] Three white-tailed deer, which are omnipresent in the municipality's landscape, stand on a grassy mound set with lilies, roses, shamrocks, and thistles, wearing coronets adorned with maple leaves and fir cones. The thistles are a nod to the region's early Scottish landowners, while the shamrocks represent the Irish migrants who settled there in the 19th century, whose legacy has left a lasting imprint on the local culture.[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]
Saint-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]
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.[6]
In 2009, the non-profit Portage rehabilitation center for youth dealing with substance abuse issues was established in Saint-Malachie.[7] The French-language residential program caters to adolescents and young adults aged 14 to 21.
Saint-Malachie has multiple organizations that cater to a large spectrum of people. These include: