From its source in the moraine this river of the Batiscanie flows from north-east to south-west on 11.3 km, at the foot of the large moraine. This river flows into the Batiscan River at the heart of the village of Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan and empties near the church. The "Rivière à Veillet" valley covers 37,1 km². The upper valley of the river Veillet was the fourth area of colonization in Lordship of Batiscanat the beginning of 18th Century. The great tragedies connected to the Veillet river were debacle of 1730 that claimed the wooden bridge just a few hundred feet from the mouth and landslide of May 1, 1877 that destroyed the sawmill of Francois-Xavier Massicotte and led five loss of life.
Toponymy
The name "River Veillet" is derived from the military and census Jean Veillet, ancestor of all Veillet/te of America. Jean Veillet arrived in Canada in 1687 as a military troop "Compagnies Franches de la Marine". After his military commitment in 1700, Jean Veillet held unofficially a location at the mouth of the Veillet river on East bank of Batiscan river in the actual the village of Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan. Finally, the Jesuits lords of the Lordship of Batiscan agreed by the concession contract notarized in 1711, to cease officially this lot to Jean Veillet. That same year he also received a grant of right to cut and sell timber. Jean Veillet is one of the first forest entrepreneurs of the Lordship of Batiscan. The river flows lengthwise into the Veillet land of Jean Veillet. The Church of Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan was built on a plot of land belonging to the ancestor Jean Veillet. Jean Veillet was born in 1664 in Saint-André de Niort, France. He married on November 19, 1698 in Batiscan Marguerite Lariou. His military career ended at his marriage period. Jean Veillet died as of February 21, 1741, in Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan. Following the death of pioneer Jean Veillet, his eldest son Jean Veillet bought in 1743 from his brothers and sisters their share of the estate. Jean and his wife had already acquired on January 2, 1742, from the Jesuits a concession at the Rivière des Envies. Subsequently, the ancestral lot was transferred to Michel Veillet, grandson of the ancestor Jean Veillet. In July 1790, Michel Veillet sold his property rights on the plot of land where the church was built, and setting a 67-year-old dispute. The name "River Veillet" was formalized on August 14, 1997 in the register of place names of the Commission de toponymie du Québec.
Path of the "river à Veillet"
The "Chemin de la rivière Veillet" along the Veillet river is about 3.75 km. Its course began at the intersection of Church Street and "chemin des forges"; it ends at the intersection of "rang St-Augustin" and "chemin du village Jacob". At this intersection, a white wooden cross was erected next to the public road. A small box attached to the cross housed a famous old ordeal that have been designed in 1827. The people residing in the depth of "Chemin de la rivière Veillet" in Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan and Gendron Creek in Saint-Prosper lived close together. Despite being subject to two separate lordships, we identified several inter-lordships marriages.
