Immerse yourself in a moment of history and culture.

 Listen as storytelling guides bring to life Félix Leclerc’s birthplace, taking you along the path from yesteryear to today.

Below is a brief taste of what's in store.....

Close your eyes and imagine a closely packed gravel road, the kind commonly known as “macadam.” A man on a bicycle pedals down the street, going from post to post, lighting the lamps. In the distance, a cart approaches, drawn by two horses. In the driver’s seat sits a large man, almost a giant, with a stately demeanour. He guides his horses to a well-earned rest.

This colossus is none other than Léonidas Leclerc, the son of Nérée Leclerc and Zéphirine Laliberté. He hastens to join his faithful wife Fabiola, the daughter of Eugène Parrot and Nathalie Langlois. Léonidas and Fabiola married in 1904, then moved to Biddeford, Maine, where they opened a cheese factory. In 1906, they and their young daughter Marthe returned to Québec, settling in La Tuque—a small, sparsely inhabited hamlet whose logging activity, log drives and lumber yards (in addition to the fur trade) had turned it into a boomtown.

The settlement grew, opening its doors to all comers; and Léo Leclerc was one of the future city’s pioneers. He worked a variety of trades in succession, overlapping jobs on occasion: liquor licence sales, the hotel business, horse sales and rentals (with the appropriate vehicles), wood and coal sales, and more. In providing for his family, Léonidas became a legendary businessman. Along with his business acumen, his physical strength, sociability, openness and honesty kept him in demand and made him a sought-after friend.

Fabiola and Léonidas had eleven children in total: Marthe, Clémence, Jean-Marie, Grégoire, Gertrude, Félix, Cécile, Thérèse, Gérard, Brigitte and Sylvette. Each in his or her own way would be a Leclerc—someone who would proudly bear whatever the fates had in store, standing tall, even when heading into the unknown. Although little Félix, or Filou, wanted nothing to do with this unknown: being 12 years old is perfect! Why grow old?

One day, Félix, a few huskies would pull your ‘iron sled’ toward higher education, so that—like your brother Grégoire—you would become a “messenger of God.” And you felt the calling: to show us the strengths and weaknesses of mankind, to open our eyes and minds like your mother had once done for you. You fulfilled this vocation in words. Simple words, fresh as dew, deep as the unfathomable, purveyors of power like the waters of the dam.

The dam gave way and Félix Leclerc, the Canadian, was born, letting the current take him where it would, sometimes drifting, sometimes caught in the eddies of uncertainty, but always with one foot ready to change course and head for new horizons.

Songwriter, poet, writer, playwright: these were the epithets conferred upon the man. But since the child within lives on in every adult, you, dear Félix, would remain 12 years old, right up until you turned 74. And whenever a reader opens Pieds nus dans l'aube, he or she inhabits the Rue Claire-Fontaine, glad to have met you.

Françoise Bordeleau

Circuit Félix-Leclerc
   

The author, composer and performer from La Tuque is a source of local pride. The thematic circuit bearing his name is based on his novel Pieds nus dans l'aube, published in 1946. Visitors can trace young Félix’s childhood rambles through the town and its environs.

The circuit begins at the Centre Félix-Leclerc, where admirers can relive a brief moment of history and culture. Next, the tour follows the route established by Félix in his novel. Interpretive panels cite passages from the book, evoking Leclerc’s times and enabling visitors to see the setting through his eyes. 

The services of a guide are available for a modest fee.