The chalets of Le Souchey

The birth of Alexandre EYMARD in Le Souchet in July 1881 shows that these summer pasture chalets were lived in at that time. Back then, every year, from mid-June to mid-September, the village of Le Souchet was the home of four families. Every summer, the women went with their children up to Le Souchet, while the men stayed in the villages in the valley. The animals (sheep, goats and cattle) joined in the summer journey. The prairies around the village were mown, the hay gathered in and taken down to the valley in autumn, with the help of a cable running to Champhorent.The families' livestock included, in general, about two cows, a dozen goats and fifty or so sheep. In summer, the cows and goats were milked in the morning and evening to make cheese.In the valley, the men collected the fodder, and some worked as mountain guides, an important extra source of income in the Alps.