Welcome to this blog dedicated to an extraordinary figure, whose name resonates through the villages of Bécancourois like a mystical echo. Let’s plunge together into the captivating world of Omer Thibodeau, a hermit who once lived on the lands of Parc de la rivière Gentilly. In these lines, we’ll explore the contours of his life, unveil the mysteries that surround him and discover why his legacy continues to captivate and fascinate so many people across the region. Prepare yourself for a journey into the heart of history, where every detail reveals a piece of the truth, and every story still resonates today with unparalleled emotion.
It all began with a river. An old river that carved its way through the melting glaciers, or rather, when the Champlain Sea and Lake Lampsilys receded. This turmoil formed the soil of Gentilly River Park and enabled a family of ingenious a family of ingenious people to settle and enjoy the natural riches of the area.
In 1893, the Thibodeau family, originally from Sainte-Eulalie, decided to settle on the Park’s lands, becoming the owners of several parcels of land in the Gentilly River Park. Over the years, the Thibodeau family prospered thanks to their saw, grain and carding mills, as well as their ochre mine. For many years, they supplied the local population with paint (made from ochre and used mainly to paint barns and farm buildings). Then one day, times got tougher and family members gradually began to leave the family land. This exodus began with the official closure of the ochre mine, due to the death of one of the mine owners. Many years passed, and the prosperity of this family in the region was almost forgotten. But a man by the name of Omer Thibodeau still lived on his family’s land, land that in some cases had been sold for more than reasonable prices. The village heard all sorts of stories about a hermit who lived in the woods… and that man was Omer Thibodeau.
Omer Thibodeau was born on August 22, 1894, on the second floor of the sawmill his father Alphonse had bought a few years earlier. He lived and worked there for his family until the death of his mother Rose-de-Lima after 1931. Thereafter, he lived with two of his sisters, Flore and Marie, in the family home until 1942, when the sisters moved to Nicolet and Omer sold all of lot 10 on the Sainte-Gertrude side to Hervé Roy. He went to live with his sister Rose-Anna in Sainte-Marie, but when she died in 1951, he moved himself into a cabin on lot 869 on the seigneurie de Gentilly side. It was here that a new life began.
Omer, when his sisters left, settled in a first small house on the right bank of the Gentilly River, at the top of the embankment. The first of a small series of homes that he built on the site. The building is built of wooden planks with a tin roof. A brick fireplace is on the door side. Two large paned windows are also visible on the facade. We can assume that the door and window frames are painted with red ocher. This camp is burning. Subsequently, he stayed with his sister Rosanna and her husband Edmond Deshaies in Sainte-Marie-de-Blandford. It was at this time that he became a beadle of the church and became involved in the community. Unfortunately, his sister died in 1951. Subsequently, he worked for farmers in the region and as far away as Gentilly. Between approximately 1955 and 1964, he lived with the family of Albert Toutant and Alexandrine Dumont. At times, he returns to his land where a prospector tent is set up. Little by little he built a second shack.
Mr. Marcel Toutant, Albert’s son, laughingly recalls his memories of the time when Omer lived with his parents. When he was very young, Marcel would sometimes give Omer a helping hand to build a path, a ditch and a camp. Marcel then had to sleep there, in the tent, on a metal bed base, to continue work the next day. One day, while the man and the boy are walking back to the camps, Omer kills a marmot and a porcupine. Back at camp, he prepares the porcupine and hangs it high in the camp, preventing the bears from approaching. Then, he prepares the marmot and places it in a cauldron of water. With that, they go to bed…. In the middle of the night, Marcel is awakened by noises… scratching. The bears are approaching. Omer goes out… Marcel wakes up in the morning. Tracks are visible around the tent… But this does not disturb Omer and they return to work. Around noon, Omer goes to get butter from his makeshift cold room and boils the water in the whistler. After boiling it, he fries the pieces in butter. Young Marcel tastes the dinner with apprehension…. and remains very surprised by his desire to ask for a second portion because he liked it so much!
Omer Thibodeau passed away in 1986, but will leave his mark on the Park forever! A waterfall bears his name (la chute Thibodeau. ..ou la chute à Omer… or la chute à Ti-Mer) at the end of trails 1 and 3, a website detailing the history of the Thibodeau family, interpretive panels , artifacts, audio guides and, above all, memories will live on forever in the Parc régional de la rivière Gentilly!
Ochre
Being located on an ochre mine, this mineral is the source of the brownish and reddish colors of the Gentilly and Beaudet rivers. Ochre is a natural mineral coloring agent made from pure, fine clay (kaolinite) and iron oxide. Without heat treatment, it is yellowish (presence of goethite) to brown (presence of limonite) and reddish (presence of hematite). However, when heated, iron oxide reacts to produce different shades of red.
The qualities of ochre have been noted by man for at least 70,000 to 80,000 years (Blombos, South Africa). Today, ochre is used as a colorant in a wide range of products, including food colorants, cosmetics, plastics and rubber.
In addition to this covering property, ochre does not react to ultraviolet rays, is non-toxic and inexpensive.
