From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Alexis Lapointe
Alexis Lapointe
Legendary exploits
His physical exploits have been so embellished over time
that it has become difficult to separate the fact from the
fiction. He is said to have raced against several horses,
against whom he supposedly always won, including the
prize stallion of Seigneur Duggan de La Malbaie. It earned
him several nicknames, such as le Centaure (the Centaur),
le Surcheval (the Superhorse) and le Cheval du Nord (the
Horse of the North).
Author Marius Barbeau describes him as a simpleton,
having just enough wit to profit from his strangeness ; he
became famous in his own way.
Probably the most famous anecdote concerning him
tells that one day, he was on the quay of La Malbaie
with his father who had to leave by boat to Bagotville
at 11 o’clock. According to the legend, his father refused
to take him along, so he told him, "When you arrive at
Bagotville, I will be there to grab the moorings." Alexis
then took a whip to stimulate himself and undertook to
run the entire way to Bagotville, that is 146 kilometres.
Twelve hours later, when the boat docked at Bagotville at
11 o’clock at night, Alexis was on the wharf waiting for
his father.
He would participate in fairs and competitions where
he would show off his physical abilities to make a profit.
Alexis "le Trotteur" Lapointe in 1920
It was said he could dance all evening and all night with-
out tiring. Races were organized in which Alexis raced
Lapointe,
Alexis Lapointe known as Alexis le Trotteur (Alexis
against trains and the very first cars to appear in the re-
the Trotter) (June 4, 1860 - January 12, 1924) was a Quebec
gion (he beat them all, of course.)
athlete in the early 20th century who has become a leg-
Félix-Antoine Savard, an author of the time, also de-
endary character of québécois folklore.
scribed him as an able woodstove builder.
Biography The End
Alexis le Trotteur was killed by a train while working
Origins on the construction site of the Isle-Maligne hydroelectric
Though the precise identity of the man known as Alexis plant. Opinions vary as to the exact cause of his death.
le Trotteur is the subject of some debate, most historians Some believe he tripped while trying to outrace the train;
agree he was in fact Alexis Lapointe, born in 1860 at others say that, due to his physical decline, he decided to
either Saint-Étienne-de-la-Malbaie or Clermont, in the commit suicide.
Charlevoix region, to a family of 14 children. He estab- One of his co-workers on the site, cited by the his-
lished himself very early as an eccentric who was per- torian Serge Gauthier, hinted as much : "I saw him ten
suaded that he was in fact a stallion born in human form. years later in Matapédia, where he was only a construc-
As a child, he built wooden horses to play with. As a tion worker like you or I. He was still well spoken of, but
teenager, he would whip himself to stimulate his muscles like a faded star. They said he could no longer run any
and would undertake long trips throughout his native re- faster than a regular horse." (Je l’ai revu dix ans plus tard en
gion, like his favourite animal. His family had trouble ac- Matapédia, où il n’était qu’homme de chantier comme vous et
cepting his eccentricity; Alexis would leave home at the moi. On en parlait bien encore mais comme d’une gloire un peu
age of 18 and spend the rest of his life on the road. fanée. Il ne courait plus que comme un moyen cheval, disait-
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Alexis Lapointe
on.) Another man named Jeen Sherman witnessed Alexis • (French) Savard, Félix-Antoine. L’Abatis. Montréal :
racing against a car. Fides, 1969.
• (French) Gauthier, Serge, Le légendaire Alexis Lapointe
After his death dit le Trotteur (1860-1924). Mythes et réalités au sujet du
Cheval du Nord. Encyclobec,[2] consulté le 5 janvier
2005.
His remains • (French) Le Phare Été 1999 - Nº 37, consulté le 5
In 1966 his remains where exhumed from the La Malbaie janvier 2005.
cemetery by a specialist in physical activity, Jean-Claude • (French) Larouche, Jean-Claude, Lapointe, Alexis, dit
Larouche, in order to examine him; he confirmed that a Alexis le trotteur, Dictionnaire Biographique du
sustained lifelong training had made him into a formida- Canada en ligne,,[3] consulté le 6 janvier 2005.
ble athlete. His bones were then entrusted to the Musée • (French) Gaudreau, Serge, 12 janvier 1924 - Décès
du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean in Chicoutimi. An exhibition d’Alexis Lapointe, dit «le Trotteur», Bilan du siècle,
opened in 1999 called "Alexis le Trotteur: Athlete or Cen- Université de Sherbrooke,,[4] visité le 6 janvier 2005.
taur?", in which his bones and objects having belonged to
him were exhibited.
Notes
Popular culture [1] Trotteur, Alexis Le at
The story of Alexis le Trotteur has seen numerous adap- thecanadianencyclopedia.com
tations into stories and novels. The historian Serge Gau- [2] Le légendaire Alexis Lapointe dit le Trotteur
thier counted books, movies, names of streets, music (1860-1924). Mythes et réalités au sujet du Cheval
records and songs, a ballet, a comic book, a sports festi- du Nord at www.encyclobec.ca
val, etc., all bearing his name. [3] Dictionnaire biographique du Canada en ligne at
Between 1979 and 1981 he was depicted in a four-vol- www.biographi.ca
ume comic book series published by Éditions Paulines, [4] Bilan du Siècle - 12 janvier 1924 - Décès d’Alexis
with writing by Blaise and artwork by Bos : L’Homme qui Lapointe, dit «le Trotteur» at bilan.usherbrooke.ca
courait comme un cheval : Alexis le trotteur (1979), Au trot et
au galop : Alexis le trotteur (1979), Alexis le trotteur contre Ba- External links
ba (1981), and Alexis le trotteur: le Pony express (1981).
The Quebec folk music group Mes Aïeux wrote a song • Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography
about him, entitled Train de vie (le Surcheval), which was Online
released on their album En famille, drawing parallels be- Persondata
tween the life of Alexis le Trotteur and the frenetic pace Name Lapointe, Alexis
of modern living.
Alternative names
Short description
Sources of french text Date of birth June 4, 1860
• (English) Schmitz, Nancy, Alexis le Trotteur, The Place of birth
Canadian Encyclopedia,[1] consulté le 5 janvier 2005.
Date of death January 12, 1924
• (French) Barbeau, Marius, Le Saguenay légendaire.
Montréal : Librairie Beauchemin, 1967. Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexis_Lapointe&oldid=474145879"
Categories:
• 1860 births
• 1924 deaths
• Canadian male long-distance runners
• People from Capitale-Nationale
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