Charlevoix: Two Centuries at Murray Bay

If resort life is what you crave, the long ramble in the Charlevoix region of Quebec offered by Philippe Dubé's book provides the desired change of scene. Using many photographs and illustrations of the elegant resort homes of the area, the people who built and inhabited them, and the tourists who flocked there during the summer, Dubé captures both the untamed beauty and the unique history of this remote resort region. From the introduction: Charlevoix sits on the north shore of the St Lawrence River in a fertile valley first colonized by the merchanys of Québec. Its early development under the French Régime was sporadic, but in due course the commercial climate improved. In 1762 Messrs John Nairne and Malcolm Fraser, officers of the Regiment of Fraser Highlanders, began work on their respective properties of Murray Bay and Mount Murray, granted by Governor James Murray. In their time the area was already renowned for its scenery and picturesque way of life, and vistitors would come from countirs far off as Scotland to stay for several months. Ever since, Charlevoix has fascinated travellers and charmed summer vacationers searching for peace and quiet. The locals, for their part, have welcomed outsiders. For over two centuries, then, Charlevoix has been a meeting place for the rural culture of the French and the urban culture that is by tradition predominantly Anglo-Saxon.