La Minerve, Quebec
Encyclopedia
La Minerve is a village and municipality in the Laurentides
region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Les Laurentides Regional County Municipality
.
Located in the Laurentian Mountains
, La Minerve is still fairly forested and covered with many lakes, notably Chapleau, Désert, and La Minerve Lakes. Its southern portion is part of the Papineau-Labelle Wildlife Reserve
. The area is popular for cottage vacationing. In the summer, the small local population swells with nearly 15,000 tourists.
, journalists of the Montreal newspaper "La Minerve
" explored this region between 1880 and 1885. At that time, the Club Island was known as "Governor Island" and belonged to Sir Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau
, controller of the newspaper. Afterwards, employees of La Minerve began to strongly encourage the settlement of the area which came to be named after this newspaper. The 30 January 1886 edition of La Minerve reported:
During the years 1880 to 1890, the government granted the first land concessions. The first settler, Isaac Grégoire, arrived in 1885, and in the fall of the same year, notary Joseph Lefebvre, from Waterloo
in the Eastern Townships
, and some of his friends came to the area taking possession of some lots in La Minerve. Lefebvre opened a flour mill and a sawmill on the shores of Lake Desert.
In 1892, the Township of La Minerve and its township municipality were formed. In 1896, the post office opened, named Minerve (but renamed to La Minerve in 1949). In 1897, there were 331 acres (1.3 km²) under cultivation, 13 houses, 4 barns, 40 arpent
s of fencing (about 2.34 km). Twenty years later in 1917, there were 125 families with a total of 677 inhabitants.
On January 1, 1995, La Minerve absorbed the unorganized territories of Lac-Marie-Le Franc and Lac-aux-Castors located in the Labelle and Gagnon townships, but subsequently lost about 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi) to the Municipality of Labelle
. In 1998, the Township Municipality of La Minerve obtained a new legal status and became the Municipality of La Minerve.
Private dwellings, excluding seasonal cottages: 630 (total: 1555)
Mother tongue:
Laurentides (region)
The Laurentides is a region of Quebec. While it is often called the Laurentians in English, the region includes only part of the Laurentian mountains...
region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Les Laurentides Regional County Municipality
Les Laurentides Regional County Municipality, Quebec
Les Laurentides is a Regional County Municipality in southwestern Quebec, Canada, in the Laurentides region. The seat is in Saint-Faustin-Lac-Carré and it is named after the Laurentian Mountains...
.
Located in the Laurentian Mountains
Laurentian mountains
The Laurentian Mountains are a mountain range in southern Quebec, Canada, north of the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River, rising to a highest point of 1166 metres at Mont Raoul Blanchard, north east of Quebec City in the Reserve Faunique des Laurentides. The Gatineau, L'Assomption, Lièvre,...
, La Minerve is still fairly forested and covered with many lakes, notably Chapleau, Désert, and La Minerve Lakes. Its southern portion is part of the Papineau-Labelle Wildlife Reserve
Papineau-Labelle Wildlife Reserve
Papineau-Labelle Wildlife Reserve is a reserve in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec, Canada, stretching across the Laurentides and Outaouais regions.The area was extensively logged in the late 19th to the mid 20th century...
. The area is popular for cottage vacationing. In the summer, the small local population swells with nearly 15,000 tourists.
History
Before the arrival of missionary colonizer Antoine LabelleAntoine Labelle
François-Xavier-Antoine Labelle was a Roman Catholic priest and the person principally responsible for the settlement of the Laurentians...
, journalists of the Montreal newspaper "La Minerve
La Minerve
La Minerve was a newspaper founded in Montreal, Lower Canada by Augustin-Norbert Morin to promote the political goals of Louis-Joseph Papineau's Parti patriote. It was notably directed by Ludger Duvernay in its earlier years. It existed from 1826 to 1837, and again from 1842 to May 27, 1899...
" explored this region between 1880 and 1885. At that time, the Club Island was known as "Governor Island" and belonged to Sir Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau
Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau
Sir Joseph-Adolphe Chapleau, PC, KCMG , born in Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec, was a French-Canadian lawyer and politician....
, controller of the newspaper. Afterwards, employees of La Minerve began to strongly encourage the settlement of the area which came to be named after this newspaper. The 30 January 1886 edition of La Minerve reported:
During the years 1880 to 1890, the government granted the first land concessions. The first settler, Isaac Grégoire, arrived in 1885, and in the fall of the same year, notary Joseph Lefebvre, from Waterloo
Waterloo, Quebec
Waterloo is a city in Quebec, included in La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality, in the administrative area of Montérégie. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 4,054...
in the Eastern Townships
Eastern Townships
The Eastern Townships is a tourist region and a former administrative region in south-eastern Quebec, lying between the former seigneuries south of the Saint Lawrence River and the United States border. Its northern boundary roughly followed Logan's Line, the geologic boundary between the flat,...
, and some of his friends came to the area taking possession of some lots in La Minerve. Lefebvre opened a flour mill and a sawmill on the shores of Lake Desert.
In 1892, the Township of La Minerve and its township municipality were formed. In 1896, the post office opened, named Minerve (but renamed to La Minerve in 1949). In 1897, there were 331 acres (1.3 km²) under cultivation, 13 houses, 4 barns, 40 arpent
Arpent
An arpent is a unit of length and a unit of area. It is a pre-metric French unit based on the Roman actus. It is used in Quebec as well as in some areas of the United States that were part of French Louisiana.-Unit of length:...
s of fencing (about 2.34 km). Twenty years later in 1917, there were 125 families with a total of 677 inhabitants.
On January 1, 1995, La Minerve absorbed the unorganized territories of Lac-Marie-Le Franc and Lac-aux-Castors located in the Labelle and Gagnon townships, but subsequently lost about 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi) to the Municipality of Labelle
Labelle, Quebec
Labelle is a village and municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Les Laurentides Regional County Municipality. Its large "L"-shaped territory surrounds Lake Labelle, and the village is located along the Rouge River and Route 117....
. In 1998, the Township Municipality of La Minerve obtained a new legal status and became the Municipality of La Minerve.
Demographics
Population:- Population in 2006: 1295 (2001 to 2006 population change: 19.9 %)
- Population in 2001: 1080
- Population in 1996: 927 (or 912 when adjusted for 2001 boundaries)
- Population in 1991: 880
Private dwellings, excluding seasonal cottages: 630 (total: 1555)
Mother tongue:
- English as first language: 5 %
- French as first language: 89 %
- English and French as first language: 1 %
- Other as first language: 5 %