Lemeiux

Lemieux, a predominantly Franco-Ontarian settlement, was first established in 1850 as a mill town for lumber operations in the area, and later evolved into a farming community. A Roman Catholic parish church, Saint-Joseph-de-Lemieux, was established in 1891.

On May 16, 1971, a small landslide occurred on the South Nation River 4.5 kilometres upstream from Lemieux. As a result, the South Nation Conservation Authority began a program of soil testing along the river to identify sites at risk. In 1989, Lemieux was identified as a risk site, and after consultations with the township, the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources and the local residents, it was decided to relocate the residents to a safer area. Over the next two years, the residents were relocated to existing nearby communities at provincial government expense.Buildings in the community were either relocated or demolished. The last building remaining in Lemieux, the Saint-Joseph church, was demolished on August 4, 1991. Only the parish cemetery remains at the former town site.

Landslide

On June 20, 1993, two years after Lemieux was abandoned, heavy rains caused a retrogressive earthflow which destroyed 17 hectares of farmland at the town site. The scarp retreated 680 meters (2,230 ft) from the riverbank in less than an hour and left a crater some 320 meters (1,050 ft) wide and 18 meters (59 ft) deep. An estimated 2.8 to 3.5 million cubic metres of sand, silt and liquefied clay collapsed into the river, damming it for 3.3 kilometers (2.1 mi) for several days. A portion of Prescott and Russell County Road 16, the main road through the town, was also consumed by the landslide. As the site was no longer populated, there were no fatalities. Direct and indirect costs related to the event were estimated at CA$12.5 million.The South Nation Conservation Authority began a revegetation program in 1994, seeding the landslide site with grasses, legumes and 7,600 trees to help stabilize the soil and reclaim the landslide scar as a wildlife habitat.

Park at the suggested coordinates and you will be able to pick up a trail that will take to to the edge of the landslide. The cache is located just off the trail (and away from the edge.) There is NO reason to venture down the slope. They are very steep !  Have a look across the canyon to the other side, and you will get an idea of the massive size of his landslide, and the number of sq/M and tonnes of soil that moved into the South Nation river.

Cache is a cammo'd PB jar with a log and some trade items. It is suitable for small trackables. Enjoy the view of how nature is slowly re-establishing itself after 19 years. Photos most welcome.

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