| | The trou du diable | | The trou du diable (devil’s hole) is an immense whirlpool fed by the constant influx of water at the foot of the Shawinigan falls. The name comes from an Iroquois legend about a group of Amerindians who opposed the plan hatched by a few Americans to build a hydroelectric dam at the site of the falls. As the story goes, the Americans dynamited the territory, sending the Amerindians to the bottom of a hole. It is said that the bodies were never recovered, and that the divers sent to find them never returned. As legend would have it, the trou du diable is bottomless and leads straight to . . . Hell ! Fact or fiction, you’re best off admiring it safely from atop the Tour de l’Énergie—or better yet, enjoying the local beer that bears its name ! |
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Shawinigan and the city of energy An electrifying view of the industrial city! “Take me up there ! I want to look down !” Barely old enough to tie their shoes, but such enthusiasm—who can resist ? “Wooooow ! Mom, Dad, look at the falls !” Once you’ve reached the summit of Cité de l’énergie’s observation tower—at 115 m (377 ft.), it’s the second highest in Québec—you, too, will be wowed by the eyeful you’ll get. At any rate, when you get over your initial amazement, look down and listen to the tale of what was once one of North America’s greatest industrial towns: Shawinigan !
 As you lose yourself in the majestic cascade, you ought to know that it all began right here at the Chutes de Shawinigan, which stand 42 m (138 ft.) high—a mere five metres (16 ft.) short of Niagara Falls! Shawinigan’s falls have served as inspiration for the country’s most celebrated painters and photographers, from Krieghoff to Jacobi by way of Livernois and Notman. Located just moments from the family-friendly Parc de la Mauricie, this unique site boasts its own Île Melville, as well as a “Banana Island” (Île Banane), named for its comical shape. It’s also a place of endless water fun for the young and young-at-heart
Not eclectic—electric! Visitors can also visit a working hydroelectric facility, enjoy a guided cruise on the Saint-Maurice, see the city of Shawinigan from a trolleybus used during Expo ’67, watch a multimedia film on the city’s history starring actress Élyse Guilbault, and lots more. Come nightfall, why not prolong the fun by taking in Eclyps, a show by Bryan Pero (creator of Amos d’Aragon) ? “Please, Mom, can we see the Selenites ?” Step into the world of the little ones and think big: see Shawinigan and its Cité de l’énergie ! From the roar of the falls... The attraction of the falls is as strong as ever. Even back in the 19th century, tourists flocked from far and wide to admire their beauty—to the point where the mayor of Trois-Rivières at the time, Joseph Édouard Turcotte, decided to erect a hotel. The Château Turcotte, dubbed a “monumental folly in the heart of the forest” by historian Benjamin Sulte, remained unfinished due to insufficient funds. By 1873, the establishment was gone, destroyed in a fire sparked off during an electrical storm of all things ! A portent of things to come ?
 Another Trois-Rivières mayor, Henri-Gédéon Mailhot, built his own luxury hotel on the site to accommodate visitors for the exorbitant price of one dollar per night. The power of the falls continues to garner admiration to this day—city tours invariably stop here to let visitors see the falls from atop the tower. However, the real force that would forever change the face of the city was an early 20th century industrial innovation: hydroelectricity !
…to the power of the turbines! The Cité de l’énergie lets you better understand just how irrevocably the region was marked by the discovery of hydroelectricity. In the 1820s, just four years apart and unaware of each other’s existence, English scientist Michael Faraday and French engineer Benoît Fourneyron each invented a turbine capable of generating electricity from water. Hydroelectricity was to prove a major player in the industrial revolution, forever changing the destiny of exceptional sites like Shawinigan. In 1898, John Joyce and John Edward Aldred purchased the falls and established the young city’s first economic engine: the Shawinigan Water and Power Co.
 Once the first dams were up and running, the city boomed as various industry players moved in: the Belgo pulp and paper plant, Shawinigan Chemicals and Canada Carbide Company, as well as Alcan’s forerunners, the Northern Aluminum Company (today open to the public). All in all, the Cité de l’énergie is a treasure trove of fascinating facts about energy production—and the perfect place to introduce young people to science. Like trained magicians, the guides take you through one mesmerizing experiment after another. Did you know that Canada’s first aluminum ingot was poured here in Shawinigan in 1901? As it happens, aluminum would prove to be an excellent conductor of—you guessed it—electricity ! The highs and lows of the falls The economic ferment gave rise to a city modelled after New York, boasting one Saint-Maurice park (designed by the landscape architect responsible for Central Park), its own city grid system, and even its own Broadway !
 When Shawinigan celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1951, it was one of the most prosperous industrial towns in the country, with the highest average wages. However, by the 1960s, the chemical industry had been affected by a major restructuring, while petrochemicals began to supplant hydroelectricity due to lower production costs. All of this entailed the closure of many of the city’s factories. A lightning rod for new impetus! Since the 1990s, Shawinigan has rolled up its sleeves and gotten down to work. One of the city’s great successes is undoubtedly the Cité de l’énergie, which opened its doors in 1997. More than just an observation tower, the complex serves as a scientific discovery experience for kids and adults alike—and an excellent way to channel the unbounded energy of countless youngsters !
 The Selenites who inhabit the Moon (really !) are in danger of extinction ! Only you can save them . . . and all you have to do is believe. Suspend your disbelief and see ECLYPS, a riveting blend of theatre, dance and circus performance. Sheltered from the elements, take your seat in a revolving, heated and canopied outdoor amphitheatre. All around you are acrobats, dancers, ferocious beasts (products of Bryan Pero’s fertile imagination) Selenites, cannons and even flying saucers. The show takes place in astonishing surroundings composed of a real forest, a real river, electricity pylons and a ‘trampoline’ building. Seeing is believing ! |
| Real Life at Shawinigan Space | |
 To enter the world of sculptor Ron Mueck is to become really, really small in order to see big. His work A Girl features a 10-m (32-ft.) baby, while In Bed presents a worried-looking woman who’s bigger than a bus. Mueck’s six giant humans will fascinate you with their uncanny hyperrealist detail.
 Guy Ben-Ner, in turn, looks at family relations and education in videos carefully crafted to appear off-the-cuff. One of his most outrageous clips presents ‘human-ostriches’ walking backwards. Ben-Ner’s humorous work also raises broader questions on the meaning of education..
Until September 28th, at Shawinigan Space
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 To see other photos of Shawinigan, please click on the pic on the right. |
Sylvain Lacoursière
2009-05-28 |
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Experience Québec
