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, caves are dangerous places which carry risks of serious injury or even death.[4] Note: The Trou du Diable cave is only accessible by guided tours offered by the Portneuf Regional Natural Park.[5]
The use of a glossary proves to be a valuable aid in defining the meaning of terms and meanings in current use within the speleological fraternity.[3]
The Trou du Diable is the second largest cave in Quebec, with a little over a kilometer of underground galleries, it's located east of the village of Saint-Casimir.[1]
We notice:
— the presence of a network of dry galleries, the most typical of which is the pot gallery with beautiful forms of vortex erosion
— the vast dimensions of certain parts of the cave
— the arrival of underground tributaries joining the main channel
— the mediocrity of concretions, which testifies to the importance of dissolution actions[7][1][8]
Saint-Casimir Devil's Hole Cave - Trou du Diable (Fr)
Downstream exit of the stream (unnamed) and the cave
February icy vault in the cave
Trou du Diable entrance
Unnamed tributary of the Sainte-Anne River at its exit,[9] a few meters from its mouth
Limestone wall at the downstream outlet
February 1995
November 2024
Science, Legends and Superstitions
Saint-Casimir Trou du Diable interpretation center, information panel
Caves are often associated with legends and superstitions of all kinds, dragons, sorcerers and devils like the Quebec caves called fairy hole, devil's hole or bottomless hole.
On the Devil's Hole cave of Saint-Casimir, it is said that:
The stream was used to quench the thirst of the damned.
The noises heard inside the cave were those of souls forgotten in purgatory.
The water vapor escaping through the openings, including the Devil's chimney, came from hell.[6]
It is also said that:
... 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.
Source: Trou du Diable, microbrewy[10]
References
^ abc"The karsts of Eastern Canada"(PDF). Department of Geography, Laval University (in English and French). Quebec geography notebooks. 1958. pp. 11, 12 of 25. Retrieved 21 November 2024. It bas been deducted that some oj the most typical caves, such as the Saint-Casimir cave in Portneuj county, was jormed 3,500-4,000 years ago.
^"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.
^ abAngus 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.
^Georges Marbach; Bernard Tourte; Georges Marbach (2000). "Alpin 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
^"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.
^ abMichel Beaupré; Daniel Caron (2021). "Caverns of Quebec, Caving guide"(PDF). Gouvernement of Canada - SODEC (in French). Michel Quintin. p. 37. Retrieved 30 November 2024. It was in 1970 that the Société québécoise de spéléologie, which became Caving Quebec in 2020, sees the day and unites groups and individuals who are interested in various facets of the activity
^"Saint-Casimir, odynymy and maps"(PDF) (in French). 5 June 2006. pp. 1 of 5. Retrieved 23 November 2024. To the east of the village, a cave more than 8000 years old called "Trou du Diable" is the second in importance in Quebec with a little more than a kilometer of underground galleries.
^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.
^"Grotte le Trou du Diable". Parc naturel régional de Portneuf (in French). Société québécoise de spéléologie. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
