From 1965 to 1982, La Tuque buzzed with the excitement of the 24 Hours of La Tuque, a legendary international event created by Gaston Fortin, a businessman as ambitious as he was visionary. His dream? To shine a spotlight on La Tuque, generating major media buzz and significant economic and social benefits. By bringing together the world’s best swimmers at Lake Saint-Louis—still affectionately called “the little lake” today—La Tuque became a major hub for swimming and, over time, a lasting source of pride for the people of La Tuque.

Back in the day, the swimming marathon—where teams of two professional swimmers would take turns relaying for 24 consecutive hours, sometimes completing up to 170 laps of the lake—was accompanied by all kinds of competitions: parades, tug-of-war, canoe races, softball tournaments, Snowbirds aerial acrobatics, sidewalk sales, and much more. The town transformed into a festive hub, and by 1969, the event was drawing over 25,000 festivalgoers—nearly three times the local population. For almost two decades, the people of La Tuque beamed with pride, still amazed that visitors would come from so far just to swim in their little lake.

The beating heart of the town, Lake Saint-Louis, is a natural and iconic lake covering 28,000 square meters, where the water stays refreshingly cool year-round. Did you know the lake naturally replenishes itself from groundwater? It’s said that the construction of the La Tuque dam raised the level of the Saint-Maurice River. Today, Hydro-Québec’s pumping system, along with a steady flow from Lake Wayagamac, renews the lake’s water approximately every 50 days. And it’s phosphorus-free too—because we keep a close eye on that!

The people of La Tuque cherish the privilege of having such a historically rich lake right next to downtown. It has served them well long before the arrival of running water, even supplying ice during the winter. With the factory just steps away, Lake Saint-Louis was home to the city’s first residential neighborhood, with workers’ homes built all around it.

Even today, it’s a joy to watch children play here, go trout fishing, or enjoy countless open-air performances. We love our little lake! That’s why we take such good care of it!