July 27, 2025 Chillin' in Gaspe

 Sunday July 27, 2025   Still at the dock in Gaspe.

We had planned to spend a few days in Gaspe but extended it due to strong winds.  Next travel day will take us past Perce Rock and I'lle Bonaventure which are supposedly quite scenic, but also a bit exposed.  We want a decent cruising day and 30+mph gusts just won't work.  So, we sit at the dock another day.  

Wide view looking past the marina on the right looking out to Gaspe Peninsula

Gaspe is a town with a long history, but not much architecturally to show for it.   The Mi'kmaq First Nations tribes used this area in the summers due to the abundance of seafood at the confluence of the York, Dartmouth and St Johns rivers. Salmon, trout, codfish, shellfish all in abundance.  So not surprising that in July 1534 Jaque Cartier found them along the shorelines when he landed, traded some trinkets, put up a 30' wooden cross bearing the kings crest and claimed the land for New France.  Hence the reason Gaspe claims the title of "Birthplace of French America".  After planting his cross, Cartier departed for further exploration of the St. Lawrence never to return. The event is marked with a 32' one piece granite cross on the riverfront that was raised in 1934 at the 400th anniversary celebration.

These tablets are outside the museum and provide a pictorial of Cartier's landing

The 32' granite cross commemorating 
the 1534 claiming of New France

For centuries French, Normandy and Basque fishermen seasonally worked the waters and shores providing salt cod for the homelands.   First real permanent settlements didn't occur until after the Treaty of Paris in 1763 when England gained control of New France.  Land was provided to English soldiers who wished to settle there.  In addition, Loyalists fleeing the newly independent United States arrived.   The economy revolved around the abundant cod fishing and the town became a significant trading port shipping salt cod around the world as its primary export. Through the 19th and early 20th centuries the town grew and was a popular tourist location.  The port was eventually overtaken by larger ports in Montreal and Halifax. Overfishing for cod had decimated that industry.  Other industries like a paper mill and copper mine had run their course and the town economically struggled.  It now survives mostly on it's history, tourism and nearby national parks.   One disappointment for us was the lack of any real historical area.  After the construction of a bridge across the York River in the 1930's closed off the harbor, road and railways became the major means of transport.   During "revitalization efforts" in the 70's most of the waterfront area was converted into a 4-lane road.  Nowadays, a nice wooden boardwalk has been added between the water and the road providing a scenic walkway with historical markers that extends for several miles.

Rue De La Reine - the main tourist street 

Tourist photo just to prove we were here

We took advantage of our stay with a visit to the local museum.  It does a very good job of taking you through the entire history of the area.  The Gaspe peninsula is ancient rock and the terminus of the Appalachian mountain chain which extends the length of the east coast.   A few restaurants, a very small Saturday farmers market, an IGA and a Maxi grocery store, a patisserie, a dollar store, a liquor store, a Canadian Tire (similar to WalMart) and a pharmacy about covers the town.  Not even a microbrewery although the marina does have a decent pub and outstanding food.   First lobster roll of the trip - nice!

Closest we've gotten to a sunset picture in quite a while