Chibougamau
The largest community in northern Québec: Chibougamau (“meeting place”)is situated in hilly terrain on the shores of Lake Gilman, near Doré Lake and Lake Chibougamau. Initially, the name Chibougamau applied to a territory covering over 1600 square kilometres crossed by the fur trade route, a series of waterways linking Lac St-Jean to James Bay. Chibougamau attracted many merchants, explorers and «coureurs des bois» as early as the 17th Century. First founded as a mining village in 1953, Chibougamau obtained its status of municipal corporation in 1954. Today, forestry employs as many people as the mining industry, and Chibougamau has become a centre of services for neighbouring communities.