Corporation Spect-Arts

Trois-Rivières (Quebec)

Histoires de quartiers — circuit St-François (Neighbourhood Histories — The St-François Tour) is an historical walking tour led by the Corporation Spect Arts Trois-Rivières. Inaugurated in 2013, this activity offers participants a return to the industrial past of the St. Francis of Assisi (St-François-d’Assise) and the Our Lady of Seven Joys (Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Allégresses) neighbourhoods. Histoires de quartiers tells of the golden age of these once-thriving neighbourhoods — districts which in recent decades have faced significant challenges.

The tour itinerary incorporates local residents’ anecdotes and memories. Tour participants also have opportunities to meet some of the memory keepers (local historians) at certain stages of the guided walk. By interacting with and asking questions of the local historians, participants start to see their neighbourhood in a new light. Histoires de quartiers is a unique opportunity to quickly break down the barriers of persistent prejudice against certain beleaguered neighbourhoods and showcase the history of the people who grew up there and who are proud of their locale.