Range roads through the countryside...
The addresses listed on the Agrotourismequebec.com site are evidence of a singularly Québec peculiarity: range roads through the countryside. For agritourists who come to visit the agricultural operations of Québec, these range roads and the lands through which they travel, provide a glimpse into the province’s history.
Starting with the St. Lawrence Lowland, which is split in two by the majestic St. Lawrence River and intersected by a multitude of rivers large and small, farms are spread across this agricultural plain along range roads that run parallel to the banks of these major communication axes. The land divisions and road layouts bear witness to the settlement patterns of generations of colonists and pioneers. They arrived in successive waves and continued to settle ever further upstream, confined only by the Appalachian Mountains to the south and the Canadian Shield to the north.
The typical arrangement** of the farms was well adapted to the specific climate of Québec. The land was divided into a series of narrow strips, with the farmhouses and outbuildings strung along the range roads so that families could live close to one another, forming small communities. Thus access and travel were made easier during the heavy snows of winter. The properties were narrow but long, and over successive years they were cleared of trees, and the wood was used for heating and cooking. Thus the amount of arable land gradually increased.
In many areas of the Appalachians, we also find establishments laid out in the Anglo-American tradition, reflecting the influence of settlers from the British Colonies, who migrated north to Canada after the American War of Independence in the late 18th century.
