Rimouski
city of Québec, Canada
Rimouski ( rim-OO-skee RIM-oo-SKEE; French: [ʁimuski] ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. Rimouski is located in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, at the mouth of the Rimouski River. As of 2021, the city has a population of 48,935. Rimouski, whose motto is Legi patrum fidelis (Faithful to the law of our fathers), is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence Estuary, around 300 km downstream of Quebec City. It is the site of Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), the Cégep de Rimouski (which includes the Institut maritime du Québec) and the Music Conservatory. It is also the home of some ocean sciences research centres (see below).
History
The name Rimouski has been described as likely derived from a Mi'kmaq word meaning "land of the moose". However, the Commission de toponymie du Québec notes that more recent research instead favors a link to the Wolastoqey, likely meaning "Land of Dogs" or "Land of Poplar Blossoms". The city was founded by Sir René Lepage de Ste-Claire in 1696. Originally from Ouanne in the Burgundy region, he exchanged property he owned on the Île d'Orléans with Augustin Rouer de la Cardonnière for the Seigneurie of Rimouski, which extended along the St.
The public source identifies “Rimouski” as city of Québec, Canada. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Rimouski, city and Québec.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Rimouski”, the useful work is to connect “city of Québec, Canada” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1336. VIAF identifies the subject as 1161145430609586830939. The Library of Congress control number is n80153895. Authority coordinates are 48.450, -68.533. 2 of 6 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2021 and 1696.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Rimouski”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Rimouski primary sources, Rimouski archive and Rimouski research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Rimouski”?
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- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Rimouski” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.