Saint-Denis in Seine-Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, France — Western Europe

Saint-Rémy: aux temps des usines
⎯⎯⎯
in the era of the factories

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 18, 2024

1. Saint-Rémy: aux temps des usines / in the era of the factories Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Depuis le début du 9e siècle, le quartier est irrigué par le Croult, canal qui, à partir de Dugny, détourne les eaux du Rouillon sur près de 6 km. Le courant fait tourner la roue du moulin Basset. L'eau séléniteuse (riche en sulfate de calcium) favorise le travail du cuir, le blanchiment des toiles écrues et la fixation des colorants sur les tissus. La présence du Cest donc décisive pour le développement lustriel des Saint-Rémy au 19e siècle. Le meunier Dezobry, propriétaire du moulin Basset, le modernise en couplant sa roue à eau avec celle d'une machine à vapeur. En 1850, l'entrepreneur Félix Choquel ouvre une fabrique d'impression sur étoffes. Il y emploie 60 à 70 imprimeurs, qui sont payés 6 francs par jour : 20 à 30 graveurs de bois d'impression qui gagnent 5 francs 15 à 20 femmes qui ne reçoivent que 1,50 francs près de 70 enfants payés 50 centimes. D'autres entreprises vont suivre telle que la tannerie du Sire Darpentigny. Toutes ces activités entraînent la pollution des eaux du Croult qui, en 1957, doit être mis à sec.

From the start of the 9th century, the area was irrigated

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by the Croult, a canal which diverted the water coming from the Rouillon over approximately 6 km. The flow helped the wheel turn at the Basset mill. The water, rich with calcium sulphate, was beneficial for working with leather, whitening unbleached linen as well as for facilitating the absorption of colours on materials.
The Croult was thus determining for the of industrial development Saint-Rémy in the 19th century. The miller Dezobry, owner of the Basset mill, modernized it by linking its water wheel to a steam machine. In 1850, entrepreneur Félix Choquel opened a fabric printing material. Sixty to seventy printers were employed there, getting paid 6 francs per day; twenty to thirty wood engravers, who earned 5 francs, fifteen to twenty women who received 1,50 francs; nearly seventy children, remunerated 50 cents. Other companies followed on, such as Sir Darpentigny's tannery. All these activities generated the pollution of the water in the Croult, which, in 1957, had to be dried out.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1850.

Location. 48° 56.165′ N, 2° 22.096′ E. Marker is in Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, in Seine-Saint-Denis. It is on Rue de Strasbourg, on the right when traveling west.

Saint-Rémy: aux temps des usines / in the era of the factories Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, April 18, 2024

2. Saint-Rémy: aux temps des usines / in the era of the factories Marker - wide view

The subject marker is the leftmost of the two panels visible here.

The marker is in the mini-park just to the north of Rue de Strasbourg. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Saint-Denis, Île-de-France 93200, France. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

Europe,

the European Union,

Atlantic Europe,

the Schengen Area,

Western Europe,

a coastal Mediterranean country,

and the Western World.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a French colony

and also the Roman Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: La cité Saint-Rémy / The estate of Saint-Rémy (here, next to this marker); Saint-Rémy: aux origines du quartier / to the sources of the neighbourhood (within shouting distance of this marker); Saint-Rémy: une histoire mouvementée / a restless history (within shouting distance of this marker); Jean Leick (within shouting distance of this marker); La cimetière / The Cemetery (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Saint-Denis Municipal Cemetery Resistance Memorial (approx. half a kilometer away); Saint-Denis Municipal Cemetery Holocaust Memorial (approx. half a kilometer away); Découvrez Saint-Denis / Discover Saint-Denis (approx. 0.6 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Saint-Denis.

Also see . . . The Croult and river-based trades (Archeologie.culture.fr).

Excerpt: During the Carolingian period, the waters of the Rouillon river were partially diverted. In 832, we find the first mention of this river-the Croult (Crodoaldus flumen) - in the charter establishing the monastery's estate which also states that it should be cleaned once a year. The name Croult may come from a German patronymic Crodoald,
Photographed by Encyclopédie de Diderot et d’Alembert, April 18, 2024

3. Marker photo: A tannery in the 18th Century
perhaps the name of the person who organized the diversion.

(Submitted on May 11, 2024.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 11, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 11, 2024, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 136 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 11, 2024, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.

Saint-Rémy: aux temps des usines⎯⎯⎯in the era of the factories

Saint-Rémy: aux temps des usines
⎯⎯⎯
in the era of the factories