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Marsoui
Village municipality
Church in Marsoui
Location within La Haute-Gaspésie RCM
MarsouiLocation in eastern Quebec
Coordinates: 49°13′N 66°04′W / 49.217°N 66.067°W / 49.217; -66.067
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine
RCM	La Haute-Gaspésie
Settled	1830s
Constituted	January 1, 1950
Government
• Mayor	Renée Gasse
• Federal riding	Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia
• Prov. riding	Gaspé
Area
• Total	178.64 km (68.97 sq mi)
• Land	181.40 km (70.04 sq mi)
	There is an apparent contradiction between two authoritative sources
Population
• Total	289
• Density	1.6/km (4/sq mi)
• Pop (2016-21)	5.1%
• Dwellings	179
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s)	G0E 1S0
Area code(s)	418 and 581
Highways	R-132
Website	municipalites-du-quebec.com/marsoui/

Marsoui (French pronunciation: [maʁswi]) is a village municipality in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of Quebec, Canada.

The name Marsoui is thought to originate from the Mi'kmaq word malseoui, meaning "flint" which is abundant in the area. However, another theory explains that it comes from the French word marsouin, the vernacular term for porpoise or beluga whale that used to be present in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in large numbers. Alternate spellings used over time were Marsouis, Marsoin, and Marsouins.

History

While the beluga hunt and cod fishing was popular in this area during the late 17th century, it was not until 1836 that the first permanent settlers, the Henley family of Mont-Louis, arrived. They were followed by people from Jersey.

In 1890, the Mission of Sainte-Émélie-de-Marsoui was founded there, and 3 years later, the local post office opened. Subsistence fishing was the main economic activity until 1911. Then a small saw mill was built that started the transformation to a forestry-based economy. Over the following decades, several saw mills burnt down and were rebuilt.

During the Prohibition era in the United States, Marsoui was a favorite hideout for smugglers fleeing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

In 1923, the villages of Marsoui and Rivière-à-la-Marthe separated from the municipality of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts to form the Township Municipality of Christie. In turn, Marsoui separated from this township in 1950 to be incorporated as a village municipality. Its first mayor was Alphonse Couturier, whose company had built a large saw mill in Marsoui in 1940.

From 1945 to 1954, a lead and zinc mine operated about 21 kilometres (13 mi) southwest of Marsoui.

Demographics

Population

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Marsoui had a population of 289 living in 149 of its 179 total private dwellings, a change of 5.1% from its 2016 population of 275. With a land area of 181.4 km (70.0 sq mi), it had a population density of 1.6/km (4.1/sq mi) in 2021.

Language

Canada Census Mother Tongue – Marsoui, Quebec
Census		Total		French				English				French & English				Other
Year		Responses		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %		Count	Trend	Pop %
2021		285		285	5.6%	100.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	100.0%	0.0%
2016		275		270	11.5%	98.2%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		5	n/a%	1.8%
2011		310		305	10.3%	98.4%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%
2006		340		340	8.1%	100.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%
2001		370		370	14.9%	100.0%		0	100.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%		0	0.0%	0.0%
1996		445		435	n/a	97.8%		10	n/a	2.2%		0	n/a	0.0%		0	n/a	0.0%

Economy

The primary industry of Marsoui is forestry. The Bois Marsoui GDS mill supports 60% of its population. There is also a small tourism industry, including 2 commercial sugar houses. Other businesses provide local commercial and public services.

Government

List of former mayors:

• Alphonse Couturier (1950–1961)
• Oscar Couturier (1961–1971)
• Daniel Goupil (1971–1973)
• Ghislain Deschênes (1973–2001, 2003–2005, 2017–2021)
• Clément Gagné (2001–2003)
• Jovette Gasse (2005–2013)
• Dario Jean (2013–2017)
• Renée Gasse (2021–present)

See also

• List of village municipalities in Quebec

References

1. ^ "Marsoui (Municipalité de village)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2012-02-06.
2. ^ "Répertoire des municipalités: Geographic code 04025". www.mamh.gouv.qc.ca (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
3. ^ "Marsoui (Code 2404025) Census Profile". 2021 census. Government of Canada - Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
4. ^ "Economie, historique" (in French). Municipalité de Marsoui. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
5. "Municipalité, historique" (in French). Municipalité de Marsoui. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
6. "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
7. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
8. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
9. "2006 Community Profiles". 2006 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. August 20, 2019.
10. "2001 Community Profiles". 2001 Canadian census. Statistics Canada. July 18, 2021.
11. "1971 Census of Canada - Population Census Subdivisions (Historical)". Catalogue 92-702 Vol I, part 1 (Bulletin 1.1-2). Statistics Canada: 76, 139. July 1973.
12. ^ 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 census
13. "Municipalité de Marsoui" (in French). MRC de La Haute-Gaspésie. Retrieved 2011-12-19.
14. "Marsoui" (in French). Gaspésie et des Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Retrieved 2011-12-19.
15. "Répertoire des entités géopolitiques: Marsoui (village) 1.1.1950 - ..." www.mairesduquebec.com. Institut généalogique Drouin. Retrieved 12 August 2024.

External links

• Official website

v t e Adjacent Municipal Subdivisions
Gulf of St. Lawrence La Martre Marsoui Rivière-à-Claude Mont-Albert

v t e  Subdivisions of La Haute-Gaspésie Regional County Municipality
Cities	Cap-Chat Sainte-Anne-des-Monts
Municipalities	La Martre Rivière-à-Claude Sainte-Madeleine-de-la-Rivière-Madeleine Saint-Maxime-du-Mont-Louis
Villages	Marsoui Mont-Saint-Pierre
Unorganized territories	Coulée-des-Adolphe Mont-Albert
Regional county municipalities in Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine: Avignon Bonaventure La Côte-de-Gaspé La Haute-Gaspésie Le Rocher-Percé Independent municipalities: Grosse-Île Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine Native reserves: Gesgapegiag Listuguj

• Incorporated places in Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine
• Villages in Quebec