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.