Les Mechins's name has a surprising origin. According to the legend, a 2.5-meter tall Cyclops called Matsi, "mean person" in aboriginal language, used to come down from the mountain with a stick as big as a tree to frighten the local people. In 1688, a Jesuit finally exorcized the mean Cyclops. "Mean" means "mechant" in French and was transformed to Mechin over time.
Les Mechins is a typical village of Gaspesie. There is a thriving shipyard called Verreault Navigation, founded by Capt. Borromée Verreault in 1956. West of the village, there are beautiful landscapes surrounding Sem's brook and Anse aux Crapauds (Toad's cove). The cove was called this way due to the rocks looking like toads at sunset.
