From Stadacona to the REM · Drawing 22 of 36
The Lights Come to the Village
1940s and 1950s
In the 1940s and 1950s, electricity gradually reached more of rural Québec. Crews installed poles and wires along country roads. Light bulbs came on in newly connected homes.
Look together
What lights up on the ceiling?
An idea to try
Turn off the lights for one minute and switch on a flashlight. Then count everything in the room that works thanks to electricity.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
The Office de l’électrification rurale was created in 1945. Cooperatives helped extend power networks through the countryside. The change was gradual: homes were not all connected on the same evening or even in the same year.
The drawing symbolically brings together a power line and a lit kitchen. Look for things that use electricity at home. Electrical installations are for observing, not touching.
Sources and illustration notes (1)
Imaginary kitchen and family; scene as an evocation, no specific village.
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 — 1945-1959, les premières réussites (in French)The Office de l’électrification rurale (rural electrification office) created in 1945; the role of co-operatives and the extension of power lines.
Page prepared on September 19, 2026. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
This drawing is from the book Québec’s Great Moments to Colour
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