This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
Its name evokes the end of the world. For our journalist, Moukmouk Island became an obsession the day a colleague told her that she was not thousands of kilometers from her home, as she thought, but in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Where is it located, exactly? How was his legend born? And why, even so close, does it remain inaccessible? So many mysteries…
It takes about 25 minutes to go by boat to the island noh 39 from the Pourvoirie des îles du lac Duparquet. Baptized “Moukmouk” at the time when the brothers Michel, Jean and Normand Perron, then owners of the Normick Perron forestry empire, made it a kind of private Club Med where they welcomed artists, hockey players, politicians and other guests. brand, the 175-acre island is now abandoned.
In 1956, Michel Perron acquired it for the sum of… $50. Over time, the Perron brothers built various buildings there. Visitors paraded there from the 1970s until the sale of Normick Perron in 1989. “There are all sorts of rumors and horror stories, but nothing is verifiable,” says Mylène Noël, development officer rural and tourism for the MRC of Abitibi-Ouest. No one can talk about it because the saying was “what happens on Moukmouk Island, stays on Moukmouk Island”. »
Marcel Bouchard worked as an accountant for Normick Perron for twenty years. The septuagenarian recounts with obvious pride having visited the island four or five times. “But I came back in the evening,” he says. I never slept there. »
He remembers seeing company salespeople, buyers from Montreal, politicians and “big businessmen”, in addition to celebrities. “They are almost all dead,” he said. Jean-Pierre Masson, Janine Sutto, Suzanne Lapointe… I’ve seen them all. […] When artists came to La Sarre [où se trouvait l’une des usines de Normick Perron], they then came to do their show on Moukmouk Island. »
By helicopter or airplane
As the boat heads towards this place of all secrets, Marcel Bouchard shows us satchels filled with newspaper clippings and personal archives related to his years at Normick Perron. of the atmosphere there. In particular, we see a man with a tie, a pipe in his mouth, in the middle of a discussion with an Aboriginal person. Bathers in bathing suits or bikinis seem to be having a blast, while musicians play different instruments and an artist paints the scene. Backstage, a man is wielding a blue bikini top and chasing a woman… wearing a blue bikini bottom. The latter runs away, all smiles, with a magazine sporting rabbit ears. Waitresses also wear the famous emblematic ears, which can also be seen, further on, on a panel pointing out of the frame…
“There was a big chalet that was like a big living room, with pool tables and a dance floor,” recalls Mr. Bouchard, stars in his eyes. Anyone who went to the island was not to bring anything, not even their cigarettes. “Everything was provided, like in a Club Med. Helicopter and airplane transportation was also included. There was also water skiing. There were a dozen rooms in the main building, in addition to small cabins, including the nuptials and the sauna. From 20 to 30 people at a time could sleep there. […] About 90% of the people who went to Moukmouk Island went there as single people. »
Buildings in ruins
The statue of a trombone player erected in 1980 to welcome the “discoverers of the North” looms on the horizon. We are almost there !
“There was a chalet there,” says Marcel Bouchard, pointing to what looks like a decrepit cabin. There was a piano…” The emotion is palpable.
On sale for a few years, the only private island in Lac Duparquet, which has 135, is advertised on Private Island Inc. for US$2 million (CA$2.722 million). The listing describes the location as offering “a blank slate to bring your dream vision to life”: “Ideal for personal or commercial use, the island is perfect for a large family, therapy center or yoga retreats , or even an extraordinary site of paint ball — let your imagination run wild! »
Imagination is needed to see beyond the conifers that today hide the traces of its glorious past. We are light years away from the festive drawing scene.
“We are on Moukmouk Island”, we can read as we approach the beach. Here and there, corpses of beer bottles that do not date from the 1980s tell us that we are not the only curious ones.
On this gray afternoon, the small welcome sign nailed to a tree almost looks like a warning. The remains of the main chalet are in danger of collapsing. The neighboring building has already shattered to the ground.
Marcel Bouchard suddenly becomes quieter.
Why on earth has no tourist project been built around the legend of Moukmouk Island? “Honestly, I don’t know,” replies Mylène Noël. […] In any case, I have never been contacted for such a project. »
Marcel Bouchard remembers for his part that after the sale of Normick Perron in 1989, the Perron brothers sold the island for a pittance to a promoter who wanted to make it a tourist project that never saw the light of day, lack of money.
Fortunately, the memories remain. Between the stories of initiation and naked dancers who disappeared “by chance” from La Sarre on party nights on Moukmouk Island, I can almost see the ghosts raising their glasses. All of them are no doubt toasting in paradise, if we trust this tasty anecdote: “Michel Perron has already given permission to the priest of La Sarre to hold the congress of priests on the island, at provided that all the sins that have been committed there are forgiven! »
Lake Duparquet Islands Outfitter
Thank you to Tourisme Abitibi-Témiscamingue, the MRC d’Abitibi-Ouest and the Alliance de l’industrie tourisme du Québec.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the To have to, relating to marketing. The drafting of To have to did not take part.