MERCIER, PAUL-EMILE (432 - ENGLISH)
Son of Virginie Saint-Denis and of Honoré Mercier, former prime minister of Quebec, Paul-Emile Mercier was born at St. Hyacinthe, in the Province of Quebec on March 15, 1877. During the 1901 summer, he accompanied Joseph Charles Taché who was returning to the Yukon in order to continue his work in the development and fixing of roads and navigation routes. Mercier would be his assistant. He also became the brother-in-law to Taché when he married Taché’s daughter, Marie-Louise, in 1901 in Whitehorse.
In 1903 Mercier became director of the Ministry of Public Works in Whitehorse. His work enabled him to go all over the Territory. Among other things, he directed the dynamite works in the Five Fingers Rapids in order to make them less dangerous for the sailors.
The daughter of Paul-Emile Mercier and of Marie-Louise Taché, Jeanne Mercier-Decopas narrates that “Papa worked at Hell’s Gate in 1902 and Maman accompanied him there. It was at this occasion that they were quarantined because one traveler had small pox on board; this was then proven false. They were then “released” after three weeks.
In 1903 the Mercier-Taché couple returned to live in the East of the country where Paul-Emile held the position of chief engineer for the city of Montreal from 1914-1919, The name Mercier is associated with many important functions: such as a major in the army, geometric surveyor of the province of Quebec, professor at the polytechnic school in Montreal, without counting the numerous societies and associations he belonged to. Paul-Emile Mercier died at Manicouagan in the north of the province of Quebec on August 24, 1926 while he was directing public works there for the government.
Ref. Empreinte, vol.11, pages 103-104
NOTE; There is no such word as “picote” in any dictionary. What we called “picote” when I grew up was “chicken pox”; in the small medical dictionary which I have it is called varicelle. But they would not have quarantined them for chicken pox…so I went to Google and they translate “picote” as small pox which is very dangerous and would call for quarantine. So the word “picote” in French is mis-leading but if they were quarantined, then it is small pox…..
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