In 1895, the priest Labelle sent Joachim Gagnon, carpenter, with his wife and their five children to Lac Nominingue to establish a new diocese. Upon his arrival, the Gagnon family began building the Villa Bellerive and built the Jesuit monastery.
Then, in 1905, with the arrival of the Le P’tit Train du Nord railway, Mr. Gagnon converted his residence into an inn. The auberge’s dock was the starting point for many cruises on the lake. During the Saint-Jean Baptiste festivals and the official inauguration of the “Cooperative des Colons du Nord” in 1906, excursions were organized. Two schooners were available for excursionists. They made a stop at the Villa Bellerive before beginning the return journey “(Guide of interpretation of the Linear Park).