In the heart of the Laurentian boreal forest
The SAN opens onto a territory shaped by time, where the boreal forest meets the Laurentian highlands. Here, the Batiscan River gushes between the conifers, Lake Édouard stretches its bays and islands as far as the eye can see, and Lake Florence-Ziegfeld borders the site’s historic peninsula. Deep forests, sparkling waters, gentle relief: an unspoilt landscape, where light filters through the peaks and silence seems to have always belonged here.
On foot or by canoe, you’ll follow the ancient waterways that linked the territories of yesteryear. Today, the SAN shares this natural setting with loons, beavers, otters, lynxes, bears and a rare visitor: the Chimney Swift, which returns each spring to inhabit the site’s large historic chimney.
Breathe deeply, go to settle, make the empty space
The River of Souls
In the SAN area, the Batiscan River rises in Lac Édouard, perched at an altitude of almost 400 metres. For thousands of years, its crystal-clear waters have traced a natural path between lakes, forests and valleys, before joining the great St. Lawrence River. Once traversed by canoe to link hunting and fishing grounds, today it retains all the nobility of an ancestral waterway.
To venture down the Batiscan is to slip into the heart of a living, unspoiled natural world. Along its silent meanders, migrating ducks skim the surface, otters emerge from the banks, and beavers busy themselves at the foot of natural dams. Here and there, the great blue heron rises slowly into the sky, while great blue dragonflies dance at the water’s edge. With a little luck, a majestic moose emerges from the shore, or a stealthy bear crosses the light. It only takes a few hours of immersion to feel truly enveloped by the territory.
A great mythical lake
Stretching for more than 30 kilometers between islands, secret bays and wooded promontories, Lac Édouard reigns at the summit of the Laurentian highlands. Perched at an altitude of almost 400 metres, it forms a vast mirror of pure water, enveloped by the boreal forest. With the arrival of the railroad, the region first experienced a period of logging, during which steamboats towed logs across the lake to the village sawmill. But after the great fire of 1903, logging gradually ceased, leaving room for the development of tourism.
From the end of the XIXᵉ century, the lake attracted fishermen and adventurers from far and wide, fascinated by its fish-filled waters and the majesty of its landscapes. Wealthy American vacationers elevated it to the status of an icon of the nascent North American outdoors, as speckled trout abounded and the vast, silent expanses fed the imagination. Even today, Lac Édouard retains this rare glow: that of a preserved, grandiose, living land, where people come to seek the simple wonder of nature without artifice.
The man who invented show business
South of the SAN peninsula, a small, peaceful lake bears the name of Florenz Ziegfeld – American icon, pioneer of modern entertainment and creator of the famous Ziegfeld Follies that transformed Broadway. Enchanted by the scenery of Lake Edward, he bought an island there, to which he returned every summer for the rest of his life. He befriended Dr. Couillard, director of the sanatorium, and donated a movie theater to the SAN, where patients discovered the latest films, sometimes even before their official release. It was also from his lakeside camp that he remotely directed the staging of the musical Show Boat, sending his instructions to New York by telegram.
The pond next to the main building was soon nicknamed the Frog Pond, after Ziegfeld introduced giant bullfrogs from Louisiana. At the time, these amphibians were sold in cans to supply breeding farms for the sale of frogs’ legs. The experiment may not have left any visible traces, but the legend lives on: at dusk, it’s said that if you listen carefully, you can still hear their deep call echoing through the reeds.
The Chimney Swift
Every spring, an endangered bird returns to swirl over the SAN. The elusive Chimney Swift takes refuge in the large chimney of the former sanatorium, where it forms one of the few remaining active dormitories in Quebec. At the northern limit of its breeding range, this colony represents over a hundred individuals, a significant proportion of the two thousand or so swifts recorded in the province.
For several years now, the SAN has been making concrete efforts to protect this fragile habitat. Sixteen giant nesting boxes have been built on the site, imitating the shape of the old chimneys used by the species. Four of them are currently occupied, making the SAN a veritable sanctuary for this small migratory bird. Telemetry research has also identified nesting sites in the forest, notably in hollow snags. A small interpretation area and educational capsules are available at the visitor centre to help visitors better understand the survival issues facing this rare bird, which has remained faithful to the site for almost a century.
