Asbestos

Asbestos is most famous for its mine shaft and for good reason – it is the largest open-pit mine in the world! Asbestos – the mineral – was discovered in this location in 1879, and William H. Jeffrey began to mine it in 1881. This serpentine site produces chrysotile, one of two known asbestos fibres currently mined in Quebec. An observation post lets visitors marvel at the sheer size of the mine – 350 meters deep and two kilometres in diameter.

The town’s library exhibits an impressive quantity of minerals from the mine that is still in operation. Asbestos residents have every right to be proud, and their collective memory includes the mining strikes of 1920, 1937 and 1949. The last of these left a permanent mark on the history of Quebec and introduced some of our lead trade unionists. An interesting fact, the place name of Asbestos, which dates from 1884, is from an English word derivedread more > from the Greek meaning inextinguishable! The town was first instituted as a postal station and became a village in 1899; it received its statute in 1939. Trois-Lacs, recently amalgamated with Asbestos, offers country living and can be reached by Route 255 from Danville and Route 249 from Windsor. It also boasts a popular music camp.