Series

This series
chronicles the activities of John Gaspard Maricourt "Jack" Le Moine
during the first half of the 20^th century. It contains three
journals describing his hunting, fishing and boating activities on the St.
Lawrence River and various Quebec lakes.

The first
of the three journals chronicles the hunting, fishing and sport-shooting trips
he took from 1917 to 1935. It begins with a review of his catches over the
years, which include partridge, sandpiper, golden plover, trout, duck, and even
a seal. His first story recounts an expedition to Les Pélerins archipelago
("The Pilgrims") in 1917. Over the next decade, Le Moine returned to
this destination another 44 times, notably aboard the Stella Maris and Alouette
I, whose home port was Notre-Dame-du-Portage, near Rivière-du-Loup. He also
visited Kamouraska, Saint-Siméon, Tadoussac, Saint-Joachim and Saguenay. Among
his regular companions were his cousin Chase, Tommy Casgrain, Charlie Généreux,
Meredith and Billy Mills, Gordon and Jack Dewar, Jack Home, Fortunat Jolicoeur
and Paul Rémillard. His accounts are sometimes illustrated with hand-drawn
maps.

In 1927,
John G. M. Le Moine bought the ship Bikera, which he renamed Alouette
II. The occasion was marked by a short ceremony, followed by an excursion
with several guests to the Sainte-Pétronille lighthouse. This event is
recounted in the second journal, covering the years 1928 to 1935 and dedicated
exclusively to outings on board this boat, which was berthed at the Royal St.
Lawrence Yacht Club in Montreal. Alouette II primarily plied
the waters of the St. Lawrence River, stopping at Isle-aux-Coudres, Tadoussac,
Trois-Rivières, Batiscan, Kamouraska and, once again, Les Pélerins archipelago,
in addition to venturing up the Saguenay River to Chicoutimi. In his journal,
John G. M. Le Moine recorded the names of his guests, the route and the various
stages of his expeditions, the sailing conditions (temperature, tides, wind
direction), the various tasks involved in maintaining the boat, activities on
board and during trips ashore (meals, sunning, swimming), any game hunted or
fished and the weapons used.

John G. M.
Le Moine sold Alouette II in 1936, but continued to sail on
the St. Lawrence and various lakes in the Eastern Townships in other
sailboats: The Hobo (1937-1938) and Little Lulu (1939-1945).
A third journal chronicles the hunting and fishing trips taken during this
period. These accounts are sometimes illustrated with funny drawings about
hunting.

These
documents paint a portrait of the leisure pursuits of a man from the Quebec
bourgeoisie with no financial worries. Over the years, however, this notion of
leisure gradually became a well-established way of life, illustrating John G.
M. Le Moine's true passion for nature, sailing, hunting and fishing.