Places, Traditions and Discoveries · Drawing 06 of 40
The Daniel-Johnson dam
1969 — the dam officially opens
On the Côte-Nord (North Shore), the Daniel-Johnson dam holds back a huge lake called a reservoir. It stands on land that the Innu of Pessamit and their ancestors have known for a very long time.
Look together
Can you find the dam’s big arches?
An idea to try
Draw a row of large arches. Your child chooses a colour pattern to repeat from one arch to the next.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
The Daniel-Johnson dam holds back a reservoir on the Côte-Nord. It has 13 large arches and 14 buttresses, the supports between them. This concrete structure is 214 metres tall. It was completed in 1968 and inaugurated in 1969. These details help convey the scale of the construction work.
Hydro-Québec also locates the dam in Nitassinan, the ancestral territory of the Innu of Pessamit. The place has a human history beyond that of the structure. First observe the repeated shapes together, then explain that a place can matter for several reasons and deserves to have its history told through several voices.
Sources and illustration notes (2)
A stylized dam with fewer arches; the drawing cannot be used to count the real dam’s 13 arches.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- Hydro-Québec — 1969: Daniel-Johnson dam, a symbol of Québec ingenuityDimensions, arches and buttresses, completion in 1968 and inauguration in 1969.
- Hydro-Québec — Manic-5 generating station and Daniel-Johnson damLocated in Nitassinan, the ancestral land of the Innu of Pessamit.
Page prepared on September 12, 2026. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
This drawing is from the book Québec Treasures to Colour
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