Old Chicoutimi Pulp Mill, Industrial heritage museum in Saguenay, Canada
The Old Chicoutimi Pulp Mill is a museum complex made up of stone buildings along the Chicoutimi River, in Saguenay, Canada. The site includes exhibition spaces and walking trails that explain how wood was processed into pulp inside the former factory.
Joseph-Dominique Guay, mayor of Chicoutimi, founded the Compagnie de Pulpe de Chicoutimi on 24 November 1896 with a few friends; it was the first pulp and paper company managed by French Canadians. Under Julien-Édouard-Alfred Dubuc three mills were built, and the company exported pulp to England and the United States. It declined after the First World War and the mill closed in 1930.
The Maison Arthur-Villeneuve on the grounds displays colorful paintings that show the daily lives of workers and their families in this industrial region. These works were made by Arthur Villeneuve, a former barber from Chicoutimi who famously painted the interior walls of his own home.
The grounds run along the river and are best explored on foot, so wearing comfortable shoes makes the walk easier. Guided tours are available and help visitors understand the different buildings and what they were used for.
The mills turned more than 4,000 logs into pulp every day at the company's peak, and about a third more timber was cut than needed in case conditions changed. In winter, workers stayed at logging camps around Lake Kénogami, often missing Christmas with their families because no well-marked road linked the camps to Chicoutimi.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,443 contributors worldwide.