Val-Jalbert – Lac-Saint-Jean’s Ghost Village
They years and the pest having begun to eat their way into a company town were awoken to a rude surprise. A ghost town reborn, Val-Jalbert would be resurrected from the dead and now serves as an important tourism site for the region but it also a place that you can stay overnight or just for a bite. The 70 original abandoned buildings makes Val-Jalbert one of the most complete ghost town in Canada!
This is a stub of my Lac-Saint-Jean post, for more information click here.
Geography
This historic village is located south of the Lac-Saint-Jean, and is situated on a tributary river, the Ouiatchouan, to that same lake.
History
The town was founded 1901 around a pulp and paper mill and operated until 1927, when the mill closed. The present name of the village is derived from the name Damase Jalbert, the founder of the company town but it was originally called Ouiatchouan, named after the chute that fed the pulp and paper mill. The name change was effected in 2013.
For a longer history of the Lac-Saint-Jean region click here.
Where to Stay
There are plenty of campgrounds in the Lac-Saint-Jean region, with beautiful sites on the lake. Alternatively there are hotels in both Chicoutimi and Alma. If you would like to stay right on site you can stay at the Camping Val-Jalbert right neat the parking lot or in the on site hotel!
Getting Around The Village
Once in the parking lot you will have the option of taking the shuttle around or to walk along the pathways and roads.
What to Explore in Val Jalbert
The town is laid our on the south side of the Ouiatchouan river and is accessible from the parking lot at its northern edge. On the map below I have delineated the main attractions in Val Jalbert
Stop off at the Schoolhouse and get Inoculated Against the Spanish Flu
The most imposing building in town is the old schoolhouse. My visit was at the time of the COVID 19 pandemic and the re-enactors had some fun with the display. They had a pandemic theme going, but in this case they spoke about the 1919 Spanish flue pandemic and what life was like in the village at that time. Lots of fun!
The school was a religious one, run by nuns, and inside you will find displays detailing what the life of students and educators would have been like here.
Enjoy Scenic Views of the Ouiatchouan Canyon
There is a river walk along the Ouiatchouan that makes for a nice escape from the village if you need some shade!
Walk down the Main Street to the Post Office and General Store
The towns main street is home to a quaint post office, once the beating heart of the community as well as a pretty building on its south side, that is now the general store.
You may want to stop by the Magasin-Général (general store) if you are camping. The residential structures on the main street are now accommodation if you want something fancier then the campground.
Old Pulp Mill, Waterfall and the Industrial Quarter
Following the railway tracks past the main street, you will come across a massive waterfall and the previously mentioned mill. These tracks would have brought raw goods out of Val Jalbert for transportation to market via ports in the Saguenay.
The mill is at the base of a massive waterfall, a modern observation point has been built near the mill for views.
Behind the mill you will find a staircase leading up to a second observation platform with up close view of the falls from near the top of the falls.
From this glass lookout you will be to experience the powerful thundering of the water down the rock slope. If you have the time there is a hike when you can proceed up to the summit where on clear days you can see Lac St. Jean itself.
After you finish at the falls you can enter into the mill. Now fully restored the building serves as a museum
Residential Quarter
My favourite part of the complex, you will fund the ruined hulls of the town’s residential structures. To bring workers in the company had to house them. Unlike many other company towns in the states, the mill offered a good living. These dwellings were equipped with modern fixtures and where of a higher standard then most housing of its time, with relatively inexpensive utilities. This town was way ahead of its time in many ways!
There is one of the resident streets that is still relatively intact. This is the one you will find in the tourist brochures and the one that gives this settlement the most ghost town vibes!
Visit the Periphery Ruins
Outside of the usual suspects, there is actually the ruins of an old mill located west of the village that may be of interest, although little of it remains. You will also find outbuildings on your drive in that look like train service or station points due to their high floor height.
Conclusion
In essence, a visit to Val Jalbert is a perfect time capsule of a different time in the Saguenay region. Frozen in time and stowed away from the world it was allowed to endure and in turn has not only offered a window into a lost world but also a great tourist attraction for the region.
