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Cap-de-la-Madeleine
Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Qué, City, pop 32 534 (2001c), 33 438 (1996c), 33 716 (1991c), 32 800 (1986c), area 18.25 km2, inc 1923, is located on the N shore of the ST LAWRENCE R at its confluence with the Rivière ST-MAURICE, opposite TROIS-RIVIÈRES. Originally the site of a seigneury (1636) and a Jesuit mission (1640), by 1900 "the Cap" had 300 families who lived from agriculture and lumbering. The arrival of electricity, a railway and a quay set the stage for an industrial boom that began in 1909 with the Grès Falls Co, followed in 1912 by the Wayagamack Pulp and Paper Co (later integrated into Consolidated Corp).
Industrialization brought major residential construction. A second development phase began in 1938 with the opening of International Foils Ltd (Reynolds), which still operates. Despite the arrival of Lupel Amiante, a subsidiary of the Cascades Group, industrial activities have slowed since the 1970s and the Cap is increasingly a residential suburb of Trois-Rivières. The sanctuary Notre-Dame du Cap, built in 1714, is a national PILGRIMAGE site. Construction of the octagonal basilica, renowned for its stained-glass windows, dates from 1974.
