Laurent Amiot and Herminie Chagnon

Laurent Arthur AMIOT, son of Charles AMIOT and Herminie Chagnon, was born on January 30, 1858 in Verchères, Québec, Canada. Laurent emigrated to the USA when he was 17 years old. He went as far as Louisiana, but after some time, he went to work in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA, where he met his future wife, Agnes Heroux.

They had 6 children:

-L. Georges Amiot, 30 Oct 1887 -6 Sep 1977,

(married Juliette Lebeuf, 14 January 1894 – 15 Dec 1987)

-C.T. Arthur Amiot, 21 Dec 1889 – 12 Dec 1977

-J. Edgar Amiot, 7 June 1891, (married Mabel?). Edgar never came west.

-Y. L. Edmond Amiot, 14 April 1893 – 22 Jan 1911, aged 17

-E. Adrien Amiot, 15 Jan 1896 – 16 Nov 1965,

(married Letitia Lucienne Lebeuf, 16 Sep 1989 – 3 Oct 1922)

-E. Aurore Amiot, 14 Aug 1900 – 3 Feb 1979 in Worcester,

Massachusetts, USA. Never married.

– After his wife died, Laurent decided to return to Canada in 1915. He left with his two oldest sons, Georges and Arthur, and took up farming. He built a log house in the Lac La Biche Station area, later known as Egg Lake, and now known as Missawawi Lake. Adrian, who had spent 7 months in the American army, then came back to Canada to live with his father.

-Georges Amiot married Juliette Lebeuf and raised 7 boys and 2 girls.

(Bernard, Ronald, Conrad, Gerald, Bertin, Denis, Georgette, Jeannine, and Fernand)

-Adrien Amiot married Lucienne Lebeuf and raised 7 girls and two boys.

(Murielle, Solange, Alain, Mariette, Constance, Vincent, Rachelle, Christianne, and Angèle)

Two brothers married 2 sisters, and each had 9 children.

-Juliette & Lucienne Lebeuf and 4 of their siblings (Raymond, Albert, Rolande and Gerard) came to Alberta from Québec, with their parents, Adelard Lebeuf and Alvina Laliberté. Adelard and Alvina had purchased Alvina’s father’s farm in Lotbinière, Québec, where all their children were born. The family moved to Valleyfield, Québec in 1905, then to Ville St. Pierre, Québec in 1907. Then in 1916, Adelard and Alvina, along with Alvina’s father, Cléophas, claimed a homestead on the shores of Missawawi Lake (Egg Lake), Alberta, in what was then known as Lac La Biche Station. Raymond, Juliette and Lucienne raised their families in the Lac la Biche area. Times were hard, as they had to open the land with horses and oxen. Drinking water came from wells they had dug by hand. They washed clothes by hauling water from nearby creeks and melting snow in the winter. They didn’t have much money, but fish were plentiful in the lakes, and there were lots of ducks, partridges, and wild game. They also had the vegetables that they grew in their gardens, and wild blueberries, cranberries, etc., so they didn’t have to buy much more than flour, sugar and tea. Some of the men went out and worked in lumber camps to earn more money.

According to the Library and Archives Canada, a post office was established in Egg Lake in 1915. The first postmaster was F. Bouvier, until 1924. E. Adrien Amiot then took over until 1947. Upon his resignation, Juliette Amiot assumed the role, while also operating a small store and gas station, which was very handy for the people of the area. When she retired in 1964, her daughter-in-law, E. Helen Amiot (Denis) managed the post office until it was permanently closed in 1969.

Denis Amiot (son of Georges and Juliette Amiot) married E. Helen Dakin (daughter of Joseph Dakin and Elizabeth Crowley) in 1951. They first settled into an old house on Denis’ brother’s farm, then the following year, moved into their own home and farm, purchased from Denis’ uncle. Denis continued farming with his father Georges. When Denis’ parents, Georges and Juliette Amiot retired and moved to Edmonton, Denis and Helen bought the farm from his dad, and moved on to the Amiot home place, where they continued raising their 3 children, Phyllis, Cecile and Richard. When the Egg Lake post office closed, Helen, at 37 years of age, went back to school, obtained her grade 12 diploma, and took a secretarial and accounting course. She went on to join the work force to help with expenses, and together with Denis, went on to build their first new home. When they retired, they moved into Lacalta Lodge in Lac La Biche. Their son Richard took over the family farm, where he still lives today. Richard is the third generation living on the family farm.