The old castle sitting on a jewelry store

In today’s interview column, a flight over the Johan-Beetz house (which the locals nickname “the castle”) in the small municipality of Baie-Johan-Beetz, in Minganie, on the Côte- North, in 2021.

“Johan Beetz, whose famous castle we see here, was a curious guy. He was a wealthy aristocrat and naturalist who left his castle in Belgium at the end of the 19th century to settle in Quebec. You have to do it!” launches Pierre Lahoud.

“Before living in Quebec itself, where he helped create the zoo, he settled on this lost rock, at the end of the world, in a bay in Minganie,” says the historian, author and photographer. . He stayed there for almost thirty years, built this superb residence, married a local woman and launched several businesses in the region.”

“What made Beetz famous, in particular, was that he completely isolated his village during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 [qui avait provoqué la mort d’entre 20 et 100 millions de personnes dans le monde]. Beetz had achieved at that time exactly what we had to do 100 years later during the COVID crisis. By isolating his village, he allowed the people to survive; no one had been sick,” continues Mr. Lahoud, who is the subject of a documentary in four episodes (named Objective Laurentie) broadcast these days on the Savoir Média TV channel.

“The nickname of Baie-Johan-Beetz is the jewelry store of the North Shore! Apparently, the place is said to have an absolutely exceptional mineral catalog. Hold on tight: there are feldspar, hematite, gabbro, amphibolite, pegmatite, green schist, granite, basalt, silica and maybe even uranium , he lists. This castle sits on a jewelry store, on a real treasure!”

“Even today, the Johan-Beetz house, alone on its mound, remains quite impressive. [Devenu un gîte de pourvoirie,] it testifies to the man at its origin, who had a certain judgment. The place continues to be a central point in our history. It is one of the most important emblematic places in Minganie and Quebec,” concludes Pierre Lahoud.

Comments collected by Francis Higgins

Info: pierrelahoud.co­m