Dolbeau-Mistassini

Dolbeau-Mistassini is a town in northern Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Mistassibi River, Riviere aux Rats and the Mistassini River, on Lac Saint-Jean. Dolbeau-Mistassini is in the Maria-Chapdelaine Regional County Municipality and is the commercial hub of Lac-St-Jean with big stores and shopping centres.

The city was formed in 1997 through the amalgamation of the cities of Dolbeau and Mistassini. Dolbeau is located on the right (west) bank of the Mistassini River, in the geographic township of Parent (not in the adjacent Dolbeau Township). The town of Mistassini is on the left (east) bank of the Mistassini River at the confluence with the Mistassibi River, directly opposite Dolbeau.

History
The first settler in Mistassini may have been François Gaudreault in 1884. But credit is given to Trappists for founding the town, an exceptional case in Quebec. In 1892, the Trappists of Oka were granted  of land between the Mistassini and Mistassibi Rivers by the government of Charles Boucher de Boucherville. They first settled at the mouth of the Mistassibi then on the shores of Lac Saint-Jean. In 1895, the Parish of Saint-Michel-de-Mistassini was founded, and two years later, it was incorporated as a municipality.

In 1930, the town centre of Saint-Michel-de-Mistassini separated from the municipality to form the Village Municipality of Mistassini. During the construction of the Chute-des-Passes Dam on the Peribonka River in 1944, it experienced commercial growth and gained city status in 1947. In 1976, the Municipality of Saint-Michel-de-Mistassini and the Village Municipality of Mistassini were merged again to form the City of Mistassini.

As for Dolbeau, it was founded in 1926 by Swedish-born industrialist Emil Andrew Wallberg and his industrial German-born partner John Stadler who established there the Lake Saint John Power and Paper Co. paper mill. The town, incorporated in 1927, was named after Jean Dolbeau (1586–1652), Récollet missionary in the Tadoussac and Lac Saint-Jean area from 1615 to 1617 and from 1618 to 1620.

On December 17, 1997, the cities of Dolbeau and Mistassini were merged to form the City of Dolbeau-Mistassini.

Demographics
Population trend:
 Population in 2011: 14,384 (2006 to 2011 population change: -1.1%)
 Population in 2006: 14,546
 Population in 2001: 14,879
 Population total in 1996: 15,214
 Dolbeau (ville): 8,310
 Mistassini (ville): 6,904
 Population in 1991:
 Dolbeau (ville): 8,181
 Mistassini (ville): 6,842

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 6,312 (total dwellings: 6,755)

Mother tongue:
 English as first language: 0.5%
 French as first language: 98.9%
 English and French as first language: 0.1%
 Other as first language: 0.5%

Industry
The main source of employment in Dolbeau is a paper mill factory. In June 2009, the mill was shut down but has since been restarted in August 2012.  It is owned by Resolute Forest Products.

The environmental organization, SGE, outfits the town with town bicycles from St. Jean Baptiste to September.  The green bicycles belong to the town so you can hop on one where ever and leave it for someone else somewhere else.

Tourism
The following are the attractions in Dolbeau-Mistassini:
Do-Mi-Ski: local ski resort
Festival Western
Downtown Beaches and Beaches on the Lac-St-Jean shores
Dolbeau-Saint-Félicien Airport
Entrance of the Great Quebec north for hunting and fishing
Rafting spots on the Mistassibi
Festival of Stories (told at night) for the whole summer
Festival du bleuet August

Blueberry Festival
A symbol of the Lac Saint-Jean region, the blueberry is celebrated during this festival every year between August  3 and 7. Festivities include exhibitions, animation, performances, giant games, blueberry contests, a parade by night, and the baking of a giant blueberry pie. It is celebrated in August, the month which blueberries are picked up in blueberry fields.

Climate
Mistassini has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with mild summers and cold winters. It has less of an influence of the nearby lake than Roberval and as such has higher diurnal temperature variation. In winter, when lake moderation disappears through it freezing over, average lows fall to . March remains a winter month as spring is delayed until April, when a rapid warmup ensues that brings summer average highs to about .

References

External links

  Official Site
  Festival du bleuet de Dolbeau-Mistassini (Annual blueberry festival)
Festival 10 jours Western

Category:Cities and towns in Quebec
 
Category:Populated places established in 1997