History of Saint-Guillaume, Québec, Canada

The history of Saint-Guillaume-d'Upton, now known simply as Saint-Guillaume, is rooted in the early 19th-century colonization of the Upton Township, with key developments in its religious and civil administration, and a strong history in agriculture and local industry.

The area's colonization began before the 1830s, with early residents primarily engaged in potash production and the timber trade as they cleared land for settlement.

The "Guillaume" part of the name is a French translation of "William," chosen to honor Charles William Grant (1782-1848), the lord (seigneur) who was granted the 23,800 acres of land in the Upton Township in 1800.

The Catholic parish of Saint-Guillaume-d'Upton was canonically established on April 24, 1833.

A major local industry was established in 1939, when approximately fifty dairy producers, affected by the Great Depression, formed the Société coopérative agricole de beurrerie de St-Guillaume, which continues to operate as the well-known Fromagerie Saint-Guillaume.

The community was formally known as Saint-Guillaume-d'Upton until its constitution as a modern municipality on November 8, 1995, when the name was shortened to Saint-Guillaume.