History

In 1845, a small village called Saint Augustine-de-Catherine was founded along the shores of the Castor River. This town was situated in the midst of a huge forest, so forestry was the main industry.

In 1856, the St. Jacques Church in Embrun was built, which still stands to this day. The same day it was built, Saint Augustine-de-Catherine changed its name to Embrun.

The Lumber Industry thrived in the new Embrun until the 1870s, when deforestation in the area became too prominent for continued forestry. Instead, the town relied on farming.

The town had a population of 6,000 in 1900. However, the Great Depression caused many people to move away from Embrun to look for work in the cities. The town had just 3,000 people by 1940.

Things stayed the same from 1939 all the way to the early 1980s, when a small village nearby called St. Onge became part of Embrun. At the same time, new homes were being built. This boosted the population up to 4,200 by 1990.

The past 10 years have seen a tremendous population increase in Embrun. The population was 5,700 by 2000, and from there the population doubled to 11,500 in just six years. Even now, the population is still growing.