He bought several farms around Lac à la Truite (Trout Lake) and area but was too kind-hearted to ask for the rents.

Elizabeth Wand, a nurse from New York City established a spa, which still operates as Auberge Tour du Lac.

By 1910, many wealthy families from Montreal and northern United States had built residences along the shoreline of Lac des Sables.

As a growing service-centre for the surrounding region, its economic base became more diverse with a strong foundation of tourism activities that included, in the summer, horse-back riding, boating, fishing, and lakeside recreation, as well as the winter activities of cross-country skiing, dog-sled racing, skating, and ice hockey.

As a growing municipality, it has a developing service area that includes a new Walmart, Super 8, and Jean Coutu (among others) strategically placed on the edge of the town so as to not affect its village atmosphere.

[citation needed] Generations of English-speaking cottagers from Montreal, Ontario, New York and New Jersey vacation amidst the lakes and mountains surrounding the town.

[8] Population trend:[9] Mother tongue (permanent residents, excluding seasonal cottagers): The town is underlain by anorthosite bedrock which is covered by stony sandy loam soil with classic podzol profile development.