Tourists in our Midst – From Air Spa to Summer Community

Metis was at the heart of the tourism economy. The village welcomed visitors and thousands of tourists who made it their summer destination. Montreal newspapers often listed the guests arriving and departing, even inventorying where they were staying and for how long.

Black and white photograph of the fall on the Metis River. The 90 foot waterfall is bordered by two steep rocky cliffs surrounded by forest. The photographer captured the waterfall from the top of the cliff on the left side. A few meters from where the photograph was taken, a man is sitting with his legs stretched out on the edge of the cliff. He is watching the waterfall and its rapid current. The photographer has made a long exposure, the river water flows from the top of the waterfall in a large white stream.

The falls on the Metis River were a popular outing for locals and visitors.

Metis had a special appeal. Even families who had first established themselves in Cacouna near Rivière-du-Loup or Murray Bay in Charlevois region made their way to Metis, drawn by the air. Hotels and boarding houses develop rapidly. In 1893, there were at least nine hostelries at Leggatt’s Point alone, each one with names illustrating their site or owners: Woodlands, Mr. Leggat’s, Gleniffer Cottage, Rosemount, The Manse, Belvoir Cottage, Meikle Cottage, Grant Cottage and Seaview Cottage.

Cover of a promotional tourist booklet to promote Metis. The monochrome cover in shades of forest green shows a view of the St. Lawrence River. In the foreground, a gently sloping piece of land hosts a few spruce trees and a fence. In the background, the St. Lawrence River without waves. We can see a rowboat, a sailboat and in the distance a passenger ship and a lighthouse at the end of a rocky peninsula. It is written in large bold type

The brochure of the Metis Beach Chamber of Commerce promoted the many attractions of the community.

Observers estimated that the population of Metis swelled by as many as 1,500 visitors in summer. Hotel registers provide a portrait of the clientele. What is noteworthy is the large number of visitors whose homes were far distant, like Ottawa, Toronto, Halifax, Philadelphia and New York.

Colour photograph of a young man and woman sitting at the foot of a spruce tree on rocky ground. In the background the St. Lawrence River and the bay at low tide. The lighthouse can be seen at the end of a rocky peninsula.

Hartland MacDougall served as a model for this photo shoot to promote Metis to a new generation of youthful travellers.

The golden age of tourism ended after World War II with the rise of the motor hotel. When the car become king, the shoreline hotels in Metis were ill-suited to a new generation of traveller. None of them had extensive car parks or space to accommodate those wishing to park in front of their bedroom door. Several hotels succumbed to flames; others were pulled down because of the rising cost of insurance.

Black and white aerial photograph of the Reford Gardens. On the right side of the photograph is a clump of spruce trees, and on the left is a long flower bed. In the upper part of the photograph is the Estevan Lodge, a long white wooden residence with a dark roof. At the top of the picture, a river crosses from left to right.

Developed as a private paradise by Elsie Reford, her gardens were opened to the public for the first time in June, 1962.

Celebrations and Pageants – Metis Displays its Passions and Personality The Metis Lighthouse – A Community Icon