Places, Traditions and Discoveries · Drawing 06 of 40
The Daniel-Johnson dam
1969 — official opening
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 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 — Le barrage Daniel-Johnson, symbole du génie québécoisDimensions, voûtes et contreforts, achèvement en 1968 et inauguration en 1969.
- Hydro-Québec — Barrage Daniel-Johnson et centrale Manic-5Situation sur le Nitassinan, territoire ancestral des Innus de Pessamit.
Source review: 2026-09-12. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
