The municipality had a population of 1,488 as of the Canada 2021 Census.
The village is located on the shores of the eponymous Lac au Saumon (French for "Salmon Lake") that is an enlargement of the Matapédia River. It was known as a spawning ground for salmon, but major pollution from mills made this a thing of the past.[1]
History
The area opened up to colonization in 1863, and the Mission of Saint-Edmond-du-Lac-au-Saumon was founded in 1876. But it was not until 1896 that real settlement began with the arrival of a group of Acadians from the Magdalen Islands. The following year the Lac-au-Saumon post office opened.[1][4]
In 1904, the Municipality of Saint-Edmond was incorporated when it separated from the Parish Municipality of Saint-Benoît-Joseph-Labre (now Amqui). The following year, the Village Municipality of Lac-au-Saumon was established.[1][4]
On December 17, 1997, the Village Municipality of Lac-au-Saumon and the Municipality of Saint-Edmond were amalgamated to form the new Municipality of Lac-au-Saumon.[1]
Geography
Lac-au-Saumon is located approximately 10 kilometers between the two main towns of La Matapédia, Amqui and Causapscal, on Route 132 which is the main communication axis of Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie. The latter passes on the north side of the lake although the bulk of the village is located to the south. North of the lake, we find the Notre Dame Mountains which are part of the Chic-Chocs mountains.
^ ab"Lac-au-Saumon". Répertoire des municipalités (in French). Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire. Archived from the original on 2011-12-29. Retrieved 2012-01-31.
