Notre-Dame-des-Bois
© Sépaq - Jean-Pierre Huard
Notre-Dame-des-Bois is located in one of the most mountainous regions of the Eastern Townships. It is a source of pride for residents – their church is perched at an altitude of 550 metres, and their observatories are located atop Mount Megantic. They also celebrate a unique history that began in 1877 with the establishment of Chesham, named after a village in Buckingham, England. Gold prospectors obtained plots of land, but soon swapped their prospectors’ enthusiasm for the more stable energy of budding colony life. In 1871, François-Xavier Dufresne made an initial clear cut, then another, before establishing a smithy in 1875. The Repatriation Act later brought the village a large number of inhabitants who celebrated their first mass there in 1876. Services were held around a large rock that served as an altar, then later in a small chapel where a statue of the Virgin Mary was erected. This inspired the name of the parish and later the municipality. Today, scientific minds with a penchant for astronomy can satisfy their curiosity at the ASTROLab and the Astronomy Festival held each July. All year round, activities are available for sports and outdoors enthusiasts at Mount Megantic Park, one of four large parks in the Townships. In addition, the Mount Megantic region is now the first International Dark Sky Reserve, recognized by the International Dark-Sky Association in September 2007. This certification supports and recognizes the work of the Du Granit and Haut-Saint-François MRCs and the City of Sherbrooke over the past five years to preserve the quality of the region’s dark sky. Awareness raising, new regulations and an ambitious lighting conversion program have limited and reduced the spread of light pollution! A dark sky like you’ve never seen it!
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Other services
Boulangerie artisanale Chez Mamie
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Town of Notre-Dame-des-Bois35, route de l’Église, J0B 2E0
819 888-2724
Fax: 819 888-2904
Email:
mun.notredamedesbois@axion.ca Population: 817
© Sépaq - Maurice Pitre 
