Category: The 1930s

A Hand Brand can of that period.

Hand Brand was one of the most profitable spirits that was sold. It was an inexpensive drink distilled in the Saint-Pierre-and-Miquelon islands. It had a high alcohol content, […]

A type of still used in the past.

A still was the primary tool of anyone making alcohol. It consisted of several parts. First, there was a copper cauldron (so that it did not rust), to […]

Sketch by Constable J. N. Ménard of Rivière-du-Loup illustrating the facilities at Alfred Lévesque’s summer home in Notre-Dame-du-Lac at the time of a search conducted by the police force in October 1932.

Alfred Lévesque’s facilities at Notre-Dame-du-Lac were not small and were strategically located to help his business. Indeed, his cottage was a relatively spacious summer residence with a solarium. […]

Alfred Lévesque’s smuggling network in the 1920s.

Deliveries were made to villages and towns along the Saint Lawrence River: Cacouna, Trois-Pistoles, St-Simon, St-Fabien, Cap-à-l’Orignal and as far as Matane, Marsoui, Mont-Louis and Mont-St-Pierre. Closer to Rivière-Bleue,  a […]

Alfred Lévesque’s residence and store located at 80 Saint-Joseph Street North.

The residence, luxurious for its time, was located near the train station and thus the railway. The train was one of the means of transportation used by Alfred […]

Alfred Lévesque and Albertine Collin.

Alfred was also known for his love of children. It was often remarked that he always carried candy that he never failed to distribute to the youngsters he met on […]

Portrait of Maxime Albert.

Initially a farmer and merchant, Maxime Albert was also very involved in smuggling alcohol. He quickly became the richest businessman in Saint-Hilaire. A great fishing enthusiast, in the early 1920s […]

The Lévesque family visiting the Sisters of Saint-Rosaire, Rimouski.

Alfred Lévesque and his wife Albertine Collin in the years 1925-1930.

The rich couple were well known for their great generosity. They gave to the poor, to churches, to missions and all charitable work.

Unloading cases of champagne in Saint-Pierre-and-Miquelon.

The nature of this small fishing village, which had been severely hit by the recession, was radically transformed. Unemployment disappeared overnight. The men stopped fishing in order to become […]