We cannot evoke the history of Souillac in the 19th century without speaking of its port, the Dordogne and its barges. It is here, in Souillac, that the Lotois Christian Signol, talented and prolific novelist of the Brive school, has located his trilogy: The River Hope, The Kingdom of the River and the Soul of the Valley share with us the intimacy of Donadieu, a family of gabariers from Souillac. C. Signol’s novel gave rise in 1995 to a successful 9-episode soap opera on France 2. The Dordogne river has been, since Antiquity, a vital communication axis between the highlands of Auvergne and the fertile plain. Aquitaine. From Bort and Argentat to Libourne and Bordeaux, generations of barges have transported cargoes of staves, iron ore, charcoal, hides and raw hides …
Souillac with its 2 ports (Larroumet opposite Cieurac and Les Cuisines) was a hub for river traffic. Thanks to the precious archives of the association “Les Amis du Vieux Souillac”, this page in the history of the city is very well documented. The barges leaving from the port of Souillac were 20 m long and 5 m wide, they could carry up to 30 tonnes of goods; in 2021 an SNCF wagon can transport 150 tonnes, a heavy weight 25 tonnes but, a decisive advantage to the barge, which displays zero CO2 emissions. The Souillac Bordeaux trip lasted 3 days, the return was made by hauling with oxen provided by the neighboring peasants; it was taking a good week. On the way back, thanks to the hauling, these same barges brought back salt, oil, dried fish, coffee and spices. The gabariers were confronted with the dangers of the river, it was necessary to avoid rapids, cliffs, rocky banks; for the sailors each trip could be the last. With these 2 ports Souillac had the monopoly of the salt trade; symbol of prosperity, the city even had a commercial court. But the decline began in the 1870s with the arrival of the railroad. At the dawn of the twentieth century, merchant navigation on the Dordogne was over, making way for pleasure boating.
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