The area was part of the Petite-Nation Seigneury, formed in 1674 [4] and originally owned by François de Laval, the first bishop of New France.

[5] The area became of interest economically when England was forced to rely on its colonies for wood for construction of its vessels during the Napoleonic blockade of 1807.

On September 30, 1831, the bishop of Quebec Bernard-Claude Panet granted a petition signed by Denis-Benjamin Papineau and over 75 tenants for the formation of a parish.

His decree called the new parish Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours-de-la-Petite-Nation and also recommended the people of Bonsecours to acquire civil recognition from the Governor General of Canada, Lord Aylmer.

A ditch beside the rail-line had become clogged, resulting in flooding on the neighbouring land, owned by Julien Gervais.

In 1899, the Judicial Committee ruled in favour of the municipality and upheld the order to clean the ditch, in the case known as Canadian Pacific Railway Co. v Notre Dame de Bonsecours.