The first colonists along Ha! Ha! Bay arrived in 1838 and then built a sawmill to process their aggressive logging of white pine. Bagot Township (today’s Grande-Baie) grew rapidly after the milling operations were acquired by William Price in 1842. By mid-century, the residents needed a religious infrastructure. The Church of Saint-Alexis was built in 1868. This was followed by a presbytery a decade later. During the first half of the 1900s, the Sainte-Marie Convent and Saint-Joseph School were added. This collection is called the Heritage Site Saint-Alexis of Grande-Baie.