Country Canada Constituted December 14, 1925 Postal code(s) G0G 2L0 Elevation 5 m Population 307 (2011) Province Québec | Settled 1853 Time zone EST (UTC−5) Area code(s) 418 and 581 Area 632.5 km² Local time Sunday 11:02 PM | |
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Weather -7°C, Wind NE at 3 km/h, 89% Humidity RCMs Côte-Nord, Minganie Regional County Municipality | ||
Rivière-au-Tonnerre is a municipality in the Côte-Nord region of the province of Quebec in Canada.
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Map of Rivi%C3%A8re-au-Tonnerre, QC, Canada
In addition to Riviere-au-Tonnerre itself, the communities within the municipality include Rivière-Pigou, Rivière-aux-Graines, and Sheldrake, all located along the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and accessible via Quebec Route 138.
The main and almost exclusive local economic activity is crab fishing. A factory which processes the crab meat sustains the bulk of the population.
The eponymous Thunder River (French: Riviere au Tonnerre), which flows through the municipality, has a large series of waterfalls at 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) from its mouth in the Saint Lawrence. These falls with a total drop of about 50 meters (160 ft) have a roar that reminds one of the noise caused by thunder.
History
The first permanent settlers arrived circa 1853 or 1854, and founded Sheldrake and Riviere-au-Tonnerre as fishing settlements. In 1875, more pioneers followed, originating notably from Paspébiac in the Gaspésie region. At the same time, the first chapel was built and the Parish of Saint-Hippolyte was formed. However it was commonly called Rivière-au-Tonnerre, like the settlement. In 1890, the post office opened under the English equivalent name of "Thunder River" (Frenchized in 1933). By 1908, there were 70 families engaged in agriculture. In 1925, the Municipality of Riviere-au-Tonnerre was formed.