Magog, Quebec (Canada)

Estrie

Last modified: 2021-09-18 by rob raeside
Keywords: magog | quebec |
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• The Municipality
• The Flag

• Quebec
• Montérégie

The Municipality

The town of Magog (25,358 inhabitants in 2011; 16,750 ha) is located in Estrie, close to the border with the United Sates, 30 km south-west of Sherbrooke. The (new) town of Magog was established on 9 October 2002 as the merger of the canton of Magog, the village of Omerville and the former town of Magog.

Magog was first settled in 1793 by Nicholas Austin, who established a floor mill and a sawmill on the eastern shore of Lake Memphrémagog. In 1799, Ralph Merry III acquired Austin's mills and settled near the bridge connecting the two banks of the lake. Due to his significant contribution to the development of Magog, then known as Outlet, Merry is considered as the town's founder.

In the first half of the 19th century, several sawmills were built on the two banks of the lake, while means of transport were improved. Hotels were built to house vacationers; seasonal navigation was organized on the lake to support tourism, trade and industry.
Assigned to the post office in 1851, the name Magog was substituted to Outlet as the village name in 1855.

At the end of the 19th century, Magog industrialized in the aftermath of the inauguration of the Waterloo and Magog railway and of the establishment of the Magog Textile and Print Co., which was acquired in 1889 by Dominion Cotton Mills.
Ivan Sache, 14 August 2021

The flag

Photos of the flag where posted by Luc Vartan Baronian in the FOTW Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/flagsoftheworld/posts/4828389453842405. Another photo of the flag can be found on the town's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/villedemagog/photos/a.1231915746883759/3358856304189682/

Information about the coat of arms is available at the town's website: https://www.ville.magog.qc.ca/ville-de-magog/informations-generales
Masao Okazaki, 31 July 2021

The fess wavy division of the shield represents Lake Memphrémagog, named for an Abenaki word meaning "the lake with high and very large water". Azure and argent represent the sky and water, respectively.

The six billets recall that timber industry is origin of the town's prosperity; their pyramidal arrangement represents Mount Orford that overlooks the lake.
The scallops highlight Magog as an important tourism center, thanks to the beauty of the site and the warm welcome by the inhabitants.

The fleur-de-lis recalls that Magog is now a town with nearly exclusive French-speaking and French-characterized population.
The shamrock symbolizes St. Patrick, first bishop of Ireland, patron saint of the first parish established in Magog and of the whole town.

The spindles in the shield's border recall textile industry and its significant role in Magog for years, as well as its contribution to the town's prosperity. The border "gules, color of fire" evokes the production of electrical energy, a privilege of the town.

The Latin motto "Fidelitate and Labore" ("Per Loyalty and Work") is a tribute to the citizens of Magog, who have exploited the gifts of a generous natural environment through relentless work and loyalty to the town.
Ivan Sache, 14 August 2021