OPEMICAN,

NAME: Opemican, COUNTY: Temiscamingue ROADS: 2WD GRID: 1 CLIMATE: Snow in winter, summers warm BEST TIME TO VISIT: May-Octobre

COMMENTS: 22 km north of temiscaming, a road announcing opemican (painted on a board) is to be found a few feet before a rest stop. Turn left and keep driving a few kilometres taking the right fork. REMAINS: Many building still left (standing)

Initially a natural resting stop for fur traders, natives, and explorers, a stopping place was built by a Mr. Jodouin at what was know as Opemican Narrows (1883). He also opened a post office in 1885. Logging became a major force in the area and Alex Lumdsen also opened a deopt near the site. By 1895 it was a regular steamer stop, ship building/and maintenance yard, stopping place, and timber shipping centre. The site also contained a store, bunkhouses, and a dozen homes. A large portion of the labour was transient and numbered anywhere from 50-400, while in spring (driving time) as many as a 1000 may have utilised the site. Its permanent population never exceeded 100. While most were gone by 1930's some remained, and serviced the puplwood industrie (Canadian Internationa Paper, In Temiscaming). The site was closed down in 1975. Submitted by: Yvan P.Charbonneau

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