Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain is a picturesque locality with a great history since the beginning of the seigneury of Sainte-Anne. This locality is located in Basse-Mauricie, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, in the regional county municipality (MRC) of Les Chenaux, in Mauricie, in Quebec.

This locality has a great agricultural, forestry and maple growing history. Its maple groves attract thousands of visitors each spring for maple activities: meals at the sugar shack, country activities, and maple products.

Formerly, some segments of the course of the Rivière-à-Veillette and the Rivière Charest were known to create spring floods or during heavy rains. These floods damaged farmland, some buildings, and especially roads.

Understand

Economy

The main economic activities of the Saint-Prosper used to be agriculture and forestry. The operation of sugar bushes dates from the beginning of the colonization of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain. In the 21st century, the economy is centered on agriculture, forestry and recreational tourism activities (resorts, maple groves, mountain biking, snowmobiling, etc.).

Many maples grow in the moraine of the northern part of the territory of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain; thus, several sugar bushes are in operation, which offer meals and the sale of maple products.

History

The parish of Saint-Prosper was canonically erected in 1850 by its detachment from Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade and Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan. The municipality was incorporated civilly in 1855. In 2010, the name of the municipality became Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain.

Geography

Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain is part of the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, in the vast plain of the St. Lawrence. The hydrographic slope of the Saint-Prosper territory is mainly part of the Saint-Anne River; however, a small area on the border of Saint-Stanislas and Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan is part of Batiscanie.

Flowing on 123 km (76 mi), the Sainte-Anne River flows on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River in the administrative regions of:

• Capitale-Nationale: in the MRC La Jacques-Cartier and MRC Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier and MRC de Portneuf;
• Mauricie: MRC Les Chenaux (municipality of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade).

The lower part of this river has international popularity for ice fishing for Atlantic tomcod. The lower course of this river passes near the limits of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain.

Taking its source at Lake Charest in Notre-Dame-de-Montauban, the Charest River flows south on 35 km (22 mi) crossing the St-Paul, St-Achile and Sainte-Anne rows in Saint-Ubalde. Then, its course descends towards the south-east (almost parallel to the Batiscan river) and crosses 16 lots in the first Price range in the eastern section of Saint-Adelphe where its course becomes serpentine until its mouth. After having descended the moraine for more than a kilometre in the northeast range of the municipality of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, the river enters Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain following the foot of the moraine. Then its course forks through the agricultural zone of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain, to flow into the delta of the Sainte-Anne-River, in Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérad].

Get in

The village of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain is accessible by road, snowmobile and all terrain vehicles.

By car

• From Montreal (191 km (119 mi). Time: 2 hr 41 min. From Montreal, take highway 40 (north shore) heading east, to Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade; take route 159 (north) to the village of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain.
• From Quebec City (97 km (60 mi). Time: 1 hr 10 min. From Quebec City, take highway 40 westbound to Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade; take route 159 (northbound) to the village of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain.

See

• 1 Église de Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan (Church of Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan), rue de l'Église. Catholic church in Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan. (updated Oct 2021)
• 2 Église de Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain (Church of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain), 375, rue St-Joseph. Catholic church. (updated Oct 2021)
• Cimetière de Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain (Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain Cemetery), rue du Centre. Local cemetery. (updated Oct 2021)
• 3 Presbytère de Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain (Presbytery of Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain), 375, rue St-Joseph. Catholic rectory. (updated Oct 2021)

Do

• 1 Centre communautaire (Community centre), 241, rue de l'Église, ☏ +1 819-840-0461. Free. (updated Oct 2021)

Events

• Festival des sucres de St-Prosper (St-Prosper Sugar Festival), ☏ +1 819-840-0408. Spring festival. Free. (updated Oct 2021)

Buy

• 1 Mlles Cossette, 1091, rue Principale, ☏ +1 418-328-0086. Grocery store. (updated Oct 2021)

Eat

• 1 Cabane à sucre Ginette et Marcel Leblanc, 321, rang St-Charles, ☏ +1 418-328-3519, info@gmleblanc.ca. Sugar shack. (updated Oct 2021)
• 2 Cabane à sucre Gérard Cossette, 370, chemin des Érables, ☏ +1 418-328-3872. Sugar shack. Meals on reservation: +1 418-328-3872, ask for Yves or Suzanne. (updated Oct 2021)
• 3 Cabane à sucre Marcel Gagnon, 550, chemin des Érables, ☏ +1 418-328-8465. Sugar shack. (updated Oct 2021)
• 4 Sucrerie Jean-Louis Massicotte et Filles, 101, route 159, ☏ +1 418-328-8890, sucreriemassicotte@gmail.com. Rustic-style sugar shack in the Saint-Prosper moraine. Sale of maple products. (updated Oct 2021)

Cope

• 2 Bibliothèque Livresque de Saint-Prosper (Book Library of Saint-Prosper), 371, rue de l'Église, ☏ +1 819-840-0476. free. (updated Oct 2021)

Go next

Routes through Saint-Prosper-de-Champlain

Saint-Roch-de-Mékinac ← Saint-Tite ←

N  S

→ Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade

• 1 Parc de la rivière Batiscan Quebec regional park that straddles Saint-Narcisse, Saint-Stanislas and Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan. Established in 1992, this 362-hectare recreational tourism park stretches along both banks of the Batiscan River. Services offered: camping (rustic, semi-finished, furnished tents, yurts and prospectors), 25 km of marked trails with ecological and historical interpretation panels, mountain biking, canoeing, nature and history interpretation rooms with animations.
• 2 Saint-Ubalde Renowned across Canada for its potato cultivation, it had 19 lakes, a cycle route, a regional park and a UNESCO-certified school.
• 3 Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan Recreational tourism activities include sugar maple groves especially in the moraine, resort.
• 4 Saint-Stanislas (Les Chenaux) The architecture of this picturesque locality reveals a variety of ancient styles. Recreational tourism activities (e.g., resorts, nautical activities, Batiscan River Park) are developed along the Batiscan River which divides this parish in two.
• 5 Batiscan Recreational and tourism activities include vacationing and boating on the St. Lawrence River.
• 6 Saint-Narcisse Recreational and tourism activities include Batiscan River park, resorts, camping, hunting and sport fishing, mountain biking, snowmobiles, and local shops.
• 7 Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade In winter, a village of fishing huts offers the public to tease the tomcod. The Catholic Church was built on the model of the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal.