Havre Saint-Pierre was founded in 1857 by fishermen who came from the Madeleine Islands. In 1948, Havre-Saint-Pierre became industrialized when the mining of ilmenite (iron titanate) located 43 kilometres north of the village was begun.At the Havre Saint-Pierre Cultural and Interpretation Centre you will find a permanent exhibition about ethno-history of the region and at the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve Interpretation Centre, photographs, talks and films about this remarkable archipelago. Take the time to talk to the people you meet about town or down at the wharf as the fishermen unload. You may even meet M. Roland Jomphe, a colourful and renown poet whose writing has so romantically expressed the intrinsic beauty of the Mingan Islands and life in the region.