Mazarin Inc. makes a first donation of its achives

"Mining heritage is one of the priority areas of our strategic tourism planning for the coming years. For us, it was essential to secure the archives since they are the basis of the existence and raison d'être of our region.  The interpretation of our history inevitably passes through these archives.  I must acknowledge the openness, understanding and collaboration of Mr. Guy Bérard, President of Mazarin inc. during our discussions," said Mr. Luc Rémillard, General Manager of Tourisme Région Thetford.

"We are very sensitive to history. We want to collaborate in the development of the region and we didn't hesitate for a moment. We have a collective heritage to preserve and we are very happy to be able to contribute to its expression and protection," said Guy Bérard, President of Mazarin inc.

"It is through the donation of archives that organizations and businesses can contribute to local and regional heritage. The historical interest of this donation is not only because it is about a mining company that has left its mark on our region, but also because it consists of several thousand plans, photographs, documents on the relocation of the Saint-Maurice parish and various documents that the company has kept from its subsidiaries for nearly 100 years. It is an impressive mass of information and documents that will be preserved, processed and shared with researchers," commented the president of the Centre d'archives de la région de Thetford and historian, Mr. Pascal Binet.

"This is a major acquisition for the preservation of our history. Over the past 35 years, the Centre d’archives de la région de Thetford has acquired a unique and irreplaceable documentary wealth for the memory of our region. Our mandate is to acquire, process, preserve and disseminate our documentary heritage. I would like to acknowledge the involvement of the Cégep de Thetford, the MRC des Appalaches, and the City of Thetford Mines for their support of our archive center. I would also like to thank the municipality of Saint-Joseph-de-Coleraine for their help in moving more than 50,000 maps and plans and for lending us space to process this new acquisition," commented the director archivist of the Centre d'archives de la région de Thetford, Mr. Stéphane Hamann.

The Centre d’archives de la région de Thetford is located at Cégep de Thetford and consultation of its archives is free to the public. Entrusting documents to a qualified organization accredited by the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) ensures sustainability through preservation and information sharing for researchers. In the current pandemic context, it is possible to consult the documents through the Web platform or request information by e-mail at archives@cegepthetford.ca.

Photos: Part of the map and plan binders, and archive boxes before the move.