Located 20 minutes away from downtown Trois-Rivières, Québec, the Forges du Saint-Maurice National Historic Site commemorates the founding of the first industrial community in Canada. In addition to covering a considerable area, the National Historic Site features an abundance of archaeological vestiges which stand as a reminder of the birth and development of the first iron industry in Canada.
At the Forges, visitors may enjoy an incredibly broad range of activities: visiting the exhibits or attending a sound-and-light show at the Grande Maison; discovering the techniques used to produce pig iron in the blast furnace; taking part in a captivating guided tour of the site, where interpretation panels abound; taking advantage of an enlightening schools program in accordance with the educational reform program; discovering the devil's fountain; taking a walk along the St. Maurice River; or enjoying a picnic in the wide open green area.
The Forges du Saint-Maurice have so much to offer. Why don't you come and see for yourself?
The symbolic structures are used because they depict both the character and function of the historic buildings in order to project the image of both a village and an industry.
They respect the evolutionary character of the site and offer a broad spectrum of possibilities for exploiting the vestiges while ensuring their constant protection.
This is also an economical solution as it is not necessary to heat such structures in the winter.
As you can see, visitors are very interested by the big waterwheel which drives the bellows inside of the blast furnace complex.