OUR HISTORY
The name TheWild Whale
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We have immense respect for our ancestors and their bravery. Beluga fishing was practiced for 240 years in the municipality of Rivière-Ouelle, on the south shore of the river, as early as 1698. Taught by the Basques and the Aboriginals, lords and settlers practiced this activity from generation to generation. The first settlers quickly drew on the resources brought to them by the river in order to survive in this harsh and difficult country. The fat of this animal served them for lighting. Sometimes, hundreds of belugas were caught during the same night. A magnificent legend, which takes place around the place where fishing was done, tells us how the frenzied whales came to dissuade the settlers from practicing overfishing.
On May 21, 1929, the Lizotte family made an exceptional discovery in a fishery they owned in Rivière-Ouelle. She finds more than a hundred belugas there. The Minister of Colonization, Mines and Fisheries Hector Laferté (1885-1971) took the opportunity to have his photograph taken with Wilfrid Lebon (1877-1955) from the college of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, and Joseph Lizotte. While in Canada for a report on Quebec and the St. Lawrence River, journalist and photographer from National Geographic magazine Vincent Clarence Scott O'Connor took the opportunity to immortalize the event. One of these photographs will go around the world in the February 1, 1935 edition of this magazine.
Sources: Yves Hébert - Le Placouteux
https://www.leplacoteux.com/une-peche-miraculeuse-a-riviere-ouelle/
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Partygoers and frenzied whales
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​ Since the founding of the village in 1608, the inhabitants of Rivière-Ouelle have hunted belugas. Since they had privileged access to Pointes-aux-Orignaux, they quickly made a fortune. One June 24, at the end of a particularly fruitful season, they had a huge party on the banks of the river with their friends from the neighboring villages. Around them lay the remains of hundreds of belugas that had been caught during a miraculous catch. Everyone was dancing and singing to the music. But, at the first light of morning, the strings of the violins began to twist, the voices of the singers to distort, and the melody gave way to a deafening buzz. An eerie fog, which looked like long hands, drifted up to the revelers who hurriedly got into their boats to get away from the shore. The waves raged over them and brought them back to shore. The fishermen got out of the water and began to run towards the nearest houses. Once in the shelter, they noticed that the water had brought the belugas back and that a hundred frenzied whales with fiery eyes were returning to the water!
The origins of "The frenzied whale»By Roger Martin
St. John's whales
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"One June 24, revelers are struggling with frenzied whales" The tone is set, I'll summarize the story.... which is happening in RivièreOuelle, it goes without saying. A few large local families had enjoyed exclusive white whale fishing rights for decades, which had allowed them to enrich themselves, much to the displeasure of many locals. On June 24, the fishing had been successful: more than a hundred whales had been captured. The owners had therefore decided to invite relatives and friends from neighboring parishes to come and celebrate on the banks of the river. At 6 p.m., the guests arrived, most of them in boats, and the party began; the wine, like the violin tunes, followed the rhythm of the rising tide. It is not for nothing that the "Maison de la Pointe" adjacent to the oil processing plant, had an unenviable reputation as a place of disorder. There came a time at the end of the night when the musicians could no longer control their instruments as a fine mist enveloped them and large hands rose from the lowest clouds as if to grasp them. Seeing the danger, the fishermen quickly gathered their respective families and fled towards their boats. The big hands stretched out on the river to capsize the boats. Panicked, the revelers returned to the shore and fled to the nearest houses. A giant wave then formed offshore and crashed on the shore, raising the bones and debris of whale flesh in a deafening din. At this moment, a hundred whales with fiery eyes were seen to appear returning towards the sea; on their backs, horrible elves with whips directed them there.
As if the spirit of the whales had wanted to avenge the massacre of which they had been victims!..... But still.... It's not just legends like those of the whales or the Juggler who come back to haunt the imagination of Rivelois on occasion.
What pleases me is the subtle relationship that the promoters of La Baleine endiablée have been able to establish between their very trendy new business and the maritime past of our old village. I have tried to show that the name Baleine endiablée brings us back to the distant era of the beluga whale fisheries, the smallest whale, which took place here roughly from 1800 to 1935. The same goes for some of their malted creations from the microbrewery that borrows local colors - the 132, the Ouellée or the Jongleuse. There's more... The promoters have not fallen into excess by trying to set up here the type of business typical of Grande Allée: there is no question of sinking into delusions of grandeur and flashiness. They contented themselves with restoring luster to the building while making a few adaptations made necessary by the new vocation. We even kept the furniture in place as much as possible to keep a friendly character to the accommodation offered. It must be said, the affordable accommodation infrastructure is insufficient in Kamouraska during certain times of the year! Your return to school has been particularly successful on all counts. It is now the entire surrounding area that has been pulled from its torpor. Good luck and long life!
THE FATHER AND THE SON
The son - The independent Braserie
Jérémie Tremblay, our brewer and co-owner, is a passionate and extremely talented young man. A student in micro-brewery production techniques (ECA.0Q) at Cégep de Jonquière, Jérémie has worked for several years in the field of service in cafes or bar-restaurants. Plus, he's trained as a bartender with mixologist Ron Evans. He also completed an internship and worked as a brewer with the master brewers of the Saint-Fût microbrewery. He started a Bachelor of Education before reorienting his career towards the world of beer. He is passionate and aspires to have his own microbrewery in order to share his passion with his customers. Throughout his career, he has developed beer recipes by rigorously brewing and perfecting the beers he wishes to introduce.
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Our objectives with respect to beer products are quite simple. On the one hand we want to respect classic beer styles and on the other hand follow trends and innovate. Ideally, each customer will be able to find the styles he already knows how to appreciate in beer and dare to try new things and develop his tastes. We want to revisit the way to taste beer
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The father - The friendly hostel
Sylvain Tremblay is the President of La Baleine Endiablée. Excellent communicator, team player, he has proven to be a visionary manager.
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At the Auberge de la Baleine Endiablée, we offer a variety of accommodations that will please a large clientele. The Whale complex has 50 rooms. Guests have the choice between a room with a private balcony or a bed in an intimate dormitory. This is a friendly hostel, that is, a different hostel. Those who frequent this type of place are passionate about travel and discovery. They come there above all to meet each other in respect and good humor. It is a simple, unpretentious place that will undoubtedly charm travelers in search of humanity and relaxation. There are no televisions in the hostel. We invite people to visit the exceptional attractions of the various municipalities and towns that make up the MRC de Kamouraska. Welcome to the convivial Auberge de la Baleine Endiablée in Rivière-Ouelle, Kamouraska.
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