Wikipedia

Trou du Diable

Trou du Diable (French pronunciation: [tʁu dy djabl], Devil's Hole) is a cave situated in Portneuf Regional Natural Park, in Saint-Casimir, Quebec, Canada.

Trou du Diable
Devil's Hole
Geology field lessons, downstream entrance to the cave,[1][2] Saint-Casimir, Quebec
Map
Interactive map of Trou du Diable
GeologyKarsts in Eastern Canada
AccessQuebec Speleology Society
Websitehttps://parcportneuf.com/grotte-trou-du-diable/

Speleology

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Resurgence[3] of the small, unnamed watercourse near its mouth in the Sainte-Anne River

Speleology and caving are the study and exploration of caves. Caution is required, as caves are dangerous places which carry risks of serious injury or even death.[4] The Trou du Diable cave is only accessible by guided tours offered by the Portneuf Regional Natural Park.[5]

The underground cave environment is a natural laboratory for caving, geomorphology, geology, biology, climatology and other disciplines.[6]

The Trou du Diable is the second-largest cave in Quebec, with a little over a kilometer of underground galleries, it is located east of the village of Saint-Casimir.[1]

The cave features a network of dry galleries, the most typical of which is the pot gallery with forms of vortex erosion. Certain parts of the cave have vast dimensions. Within the cave, underground tributaries join the main channel. The concretions are mediocre, which testifies to the significance of dissolution action.[7][1][8]

Folklore

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Information panel at the Saint-Casimir Trou du Diable Interpretation Center

Caves are often associated with legends and superstitions of all kinds. Dragons, sorcerers and devils are believed to like the Quebec caves called Fairy Hole, Devil's Hole, and Bottomless Hole. Of Devil's Hole cave, it is said that:[according to whom?]

  • The stream is used to quench the thirst of the damned.
  • The noises heard inside the cave are those of souls forgotten in purgatory.
  • The water vapor escaping through the openings, including the Devil's chimney, comes from hell.[6]

It is also said that:[10][better source needed]

When New France was discovered, people thought they had found a virgin continent, an earthly paradise, a place where malevolent minds had not set foot. ...

Rather, [the Devil] had taken refuge on this land, enjoying a place where he could take some time off, telling himself that the most prosecuted entity of this world certainly deserved this perfect sanctuary. This is how the Devil found a home in an endless cavern, at the base of a waterfall where he was sheltered by an immense and eternal whirlpool. There he found tranquility and peace, as well as a place where he could drink and feast without being disturbed.

Sometimes he even allowed himself to torment some poor, lost souls who had the misfortune of falling into the waterfall. ...

They called that place 'The Den of Evil Manitous'. Later, it was named the 'Trou du Diable', meaning the Devil's den. People said it would forever imprison those who fell into it. The Iroquois threw into it the remains of Father Buteux.

References

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  1. 1 2 3 "The Karsts of Eastern Canada" (PDF). Department of Geography, Laval University (in English and French). Quebec geography notebooks. 1958. pp. 11–12. Retrieved 21 November 2024. It has been deduced that some of the most typical caves, such as the Saint-Casimir cave in Portneuf county, were formed 3,500–4,000 years ago.
  2. ↑ "Devil's Hole, Toponymy". Gouvernement of Quebec (in French). Commission de Toponymy Quebec. 7 May 1981. Retrieved 21 November 2024. It is one of the creatures most present in the imagination throughout the world, in all or almost all cultures and has been since time immemorial.
  3. ↑ Angus Macoun (August 1998). "Glossary of caving terms" (PDF). Proceedings of the 22nd Conference of the ASF. p. 25. Retrieved 1 December 2024. Many words have been introduced into the English language over the last hundred years. Some because there was a need to describe a new item or process which was discovered.
  4. ↑ Georges Marbach; Bernard Tourte; Georges Marbach (2000). "Alpine Caving Techniques" (PDF). Speleo Projects. p. 322. Retrieved 1 December 2024. Contents treat of equipment, suiting up, lighting, personal gear, material for rigging the cave, emergencies, rescue and more.
  5. ↑ "Portneuf Regional Natural Park" (in French). 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2024. ... an area of 73 km² made up of lakes, rivers, mountains and cliffs. The exceptional geomorphological attractions make this territory a unique place for observation, outdoors and learning.
  6. 1 2 Michel Beaupré; Daniel Caron (2021). "Caverns of Quebec, Caving guide" (PDF). Gouvernement of Canada – SODEC (in French). Michel Quintin. p. 22. Retrieved 30 November 2024. It was in 1970 that the Quebec Speleological Society, which became Caving Quebec in 2020, was founded, bringing together groups and individuals interested in the various facets of the activity.
  7. ↑ "Saint-Casimir, odynymy and maps" (PDF) (in French). 5 June 2006. p. 1. Retrieved 23 November 2024. To the east of the village, a cave more than 8000 years old called Trou du Diable is the second-largest in Quebec, with a little more than a kilometer of underground galleries.
  8. ↑ Yvon Globensky (1987). "Geology of the Lowlands of the Saint Lawrence" (PDF). Gouvernement of Quebec (in French). General Directorate of Geological and Mineral Exploitation. p. 72. The rocks of the Lowlands form a complete sedimentary sequence of Cambroordovician age, with a thickness of 1500 to 3000 m. This sequence represents a large complete cycle of transgression — regression.
  9. ↑ "Grotte le Trou du Diable". Parc naturel régional de Portneuf (in French). Société québécoise de spéléologie. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Legend of the Trou du Diable and father Buteux". Trou du Diable Microbrewery. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
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Legends and culture

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46°40′N 72°05′W / 46.67°N 72.09°W / 46.67; -72.09

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