Editing Bas-Saint-Laurent (section)

=== End of isolation ===
[[File:Rimouski 1840.jpg|thumb|right|Mouth of [[Rimouski River]] and the village in 1840]]
The region's population increased from 400 inhabitants in 1829 to 11,169 in 1881. Three factors explain this rise. First, the development of agriculture in the lowlands is booming. Second, entrepreneurs like [[William Price (merchant)|William Price]] establish sawmills which creates opportunities of employment for factory and forest workers, favorable trade with the United Kingdom and the United States allows this industry to profit with their exports finally, Rimouski turns into a regional centre of services with the establishment of a [[courthouse]] in 1862, the creation of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rimouski|diocese of Rimouski]] in 1867 and the opening of a seminar in 1871.<ref name="RCMRN_3-4">{{cite book |date= 2009 |title= Schéma d'aménagement et de développement révisé |url= http://www.mrcrimouskineigette.qc.ca/service/amenagement/amenagement/schema_amenagement_nov2009.pdf |location= Rimouski |publisher= MRC de Rimouski-Neigette |pages= 3–4 |access-date= 28 December 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204932/http://www.mrcrimouskineigette.qc.ca/service/amenagement/amenagement/schema_amenagement_nov2009.pdf |archive-date= 3 March 2016 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

The development of transportation, in particular the service assured by the [[Intercolonial Railway]] since 1873, creates a boom in trade and pushes agriculture to specialize in [[dairy production]]. Taking advantage of the large supply of lumber inland, the enterprise [[Price Brothers and Company]] builds a large [[sawmill]] at the mouth of the [[Rimouski River]] in 1899. The [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s reduces lumber demand and forces part of the population to migrate further inland; the colonization period between 1880 and 1930 sees a number of failures leading to the closure of a number of  plusieurs échecs menant à la fermeture de [[Parish (administrative division)|parishes]] due to the exodus of their inhabitants.<ref name=paquetp301/> with the creation of the colonies of  [[Esprit-Saint, Quebec|Esprit-Saint]], de [[La Trinité-des-Monts, Quebec|La Trinité-des-Monts]] et de [[Saint-Eugène-de-Ladrière, Quebec|Saint-Eugène-de-Ladrière]], the inhabited area reaches its maximum.<ref name="RCMRN_4">{{cite book |date= 2009 |title= Schéma d'aménagement et de développement révisé |url= http://www.mrcrimouskineigette.qc.ca/service/amenagement/amenagement/schema_amenagement_nov2009.pdf |location= Rimouski |publisher= MRC de Rimouski-Neigette |page= 4 |access-date= 28 December 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204932/http://www.mrcrimouskineigette.qc.ca/service/amenagement/amenagement/schema_amenagement_nov2009.pdf |archive-date= 3 March 2016 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

In May 1950, a fire in the sawmill of the Price Brothers spreads over large parts of Rimouski and forces the region to re-allocate its resources towards services. The development of the mining, forestry and [[hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] industries in [[Côte-Nord]] allows entrepreneurs like [[Jules-André Brillant|Jules-A. Brillant]] to develop a bustling business in the sectors of communication, transportation, wholesale and construction. With renewed involvement of the state after the [[Quiet Revolution]], Rimouski affirms itself as the capital of the region and its service center. This change in the regional economy will negatively impact the [[hinterland]], whose population reinforces Rimouski and the neighboring towns, like  [[Saint-Anaclet-de-Lessard, Quebec|Saint-Anaclet-de-Lessard]] and the old municipalities of [[Le Bic, Quebec|Le Bic]], [[Rimouski-Est]] and [[Pointe-au-Père, Quebec|Pointe-au-Père]].<ref name="RCMRN_5">{{cite book |date= 2009 |title= Schéma d'aménagement et de développement révisé |url= http://www.mrcrimouskineigette.qc.ca/service/amenagement/amenagement/schema_amenagement_nov2009.pdf |location= Rimouski |publisher= MRC de Rimouski-Neigette |page= 5 |access-date= 28 December 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303204932/http://www.mrcrimouskineigette.qc.ca/service/amenagement/amenagement/schema_amenagement_nov2009.pdf |archive-date= 3 March 2016 |url-status= dead }}</ref>