Places, Traditions and Discoveries · Drawing 06
The Daniel-Johnson dam
1969 - inauguration
On the Côte-Nord, the Daniel-Johnson dam holds water in a huge reservoir. It stands on the ancestral territory of the Innu of Pessamit.
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 context
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.
- Hydro-Québec — Le barrage Daniel-Johnson, symbole du génie québécois
- Hydro-Québec — Barrage Daniel-Johnson et centrale Manic-5
Source review: 2026-09-12. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.