La Tuque is a
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
in south central
QuebecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on the
Saint-Maurice RiverThe Saint-Maurice River is a river in central Quebec which flows south from Gouin Reservoir to empty into the Saint Lawrence River at Trois-Rivières, Quebec. The river is 563 km in length and has a drainage basin of 43,300 km² ....
, between
Trois-RivièresTrois-Rivières may refer to:*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec*Trois-Rivières, Guadeloupe, a commune of Guadeloupe...
and Chambord. In 1960 it had a population of just over 11,000 (
Latuquois).
La Tuque became the largest municipality in land area in Quebec, and second largest in Canada (38,000 km²) after it was merged with the village of
ParentParent is a community in northern Quebec, located in the municipality of La Tuque.Pop. 500. Founded in 1910. Its name comes from Simon Napoléon Parent, Québec Premier from 1900 to 1905. During the summer, it becomes the supply point for several dozen outfitters, and in the winter it is a major...
, the municipalities of La Bostonnais, La Croche, and Lac-Édouard, and the unorganized territories of Kiskissink, Lac-Berlinguet, Lac-des-Moires, Lac-Pellerin, Lac-Tourlay, Obedjiwan, Petit-Lac-Wayagamac, and Rivière-Windigo on March 26, 2003.
La Tuque is a
cityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement, particularly a large urban settlement. Although there is no agreement on technical definitions distinguishing a city from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status...
in south central
QuebecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on the
Saint-Maurice RiverThe Saint-Maurice River is a river in central Quebec which flows south from Gouin Reservoir to empty into the Saint Lawrence River at Trois-Rivières, Quebec. The river is 563 km in length and has a drainage basin of 43,300 km² ....
, between
Trois-RivièresTrois-Rivières may refer to:*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec*Trois-Rivières, Guadeloupe, a commune of Guadeloupe...
and Chambord. In 1960 it had a population of just over 11,000 (
Latuquois).
La Tuque became the largest municipality in land area in Quebec, and second largest in Canada (38,000 km²) after it was merged with the village of
ParentParent is a community in northern Quebec, located in the municipality of La Tuque.Pop. 500. Founded in 1910. Its name comes from Simon Napoléon Parent, Québec Premier from 1900 to 1905. During the summer, it becomes the supply point for several dozen outfitters, and in the winter it is a major...
, the municipalities of La Bostonnais, La Croche, and Lac-Édouard, and the unorganized territories of Kiskissink, Lac-Berlinguet, Lac-des-Moires, Lac-Pellerin, Lac-Tourlay, Obedjiwan, Petit-Lac-Wayagamac, and Rivière-Windigo on March 26, 2003. The former city of La Tuque had itself been formed from the merger of La Tuque and La Tuque Falls in 1911.
The name, which dates to the eighteenth century, originates from a nearby rock formation which resembles the well-known French-Canadian hat known as the
tuqueA tuque is a knitted cap, originally of wool though now often of synthetic fibers, that is designed to provide warmth in winter. Most tuques are tapered, they sometimes have ear-flaps, and may be topped with a pom-pon, this style of tuque is sometimes referred to as a sherpa...
. In 1823-24, the explorer François Verreault described the location as
- un Portage nommé Ushabatshuan (le courant trop fort pour le sauter). Les Voyageurs le nomment la Tuque, à cause d'une Montagne haute, dont le pic resemble à une Tuque. Ce portage est d'une lieue, avec des fortes côtes à monter.
. The voyageurs call it La Tuque, due to a tall mountain whose peak resembles a tuque. The
portagePortage refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter....
is a
leagueA league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league most frequently refers to the distance a person or a horse can walk in an hour...
long, and climbs steep slopes.")
The local economy centres on
pulp and paperPulp and Paper is the name of the largest United States-based trade magazine for the pulp and paper industry. See also: Paper engineering, Pulp and Paper Merit Badge...
; the city has a pulp-milling centre as well as a major hydroelectric station. The local scenery offers tourism opportunities as well; the city is known as the Queen of Haute-Mauricie and the
Classique internationale de canots de la Mauricie canoeA canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes usually are pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over .In its human-powered form, the canoe is propelled by the use of...
ing race begins at La Tuque.
List of Mayors
The Mayor is the municipality's highest elected official. La Tuque has had fifteen mayors, since its incorporation as a city.
| # |
Mayor |
Taking Office |
Leaving |
| 1 |
Wenceslas Plante |
1911 |
1915 |
| 2 |
Alphondor Roy |
1915 |
1920 |
| 3 |
Donat E. Hardy |
1920 |
1921 |
| 4 |
Wellie Juneau |
1921 |
1921 |
| 5 |
Réal Gravel |
1921 |
1923 |
| 1 |
Wenceslas Plante |
1923 |
1927 |
| 6 |
François-Xavier Lamontagne |
1927 |
1935 |
| 7 |
Joseph-Omer Journeault |
1935 |
1944 |
| 8 |
Omer Veillette |
1944 |
1947 |
| 7 |
Joseph-Omer Journeault |
1947 |
1951 |
| 9 |
Léo-Joffre Pilon |
1951 |
1955 |
| 10 |
J.-Onésime Dallaire |
1955 |
1961 |
| 11 |
Lucien Filion |
1961 |
1985 |
| 12 |
Clément Filion |
1985 |
1985 |
| 13 |
André Duchesneau |
1985 |
1991 |
| 14 |
Gaston Fortin |
1991 |
2003 |
| 15 |
Réjean Gaudreault Réjean Gaudreault is a Canadian politician and the current Mayor of La Tuque, Mauricie in Canada.-Career:He once served as Mayor of Haute-Mauricie and was a supporter of the province-wide municipal merging of 2001....
|
2003 |
Current |
Famous residents
- Félix Leclerc
Félix Leclerc, OC, GOQ was a French-Canadian folk singer, poet, writer, actor and Québécois political activist....
, poet and singer
- Thérèse Dion
Thérèse Tanguay Dion , popularly known as Maman Dion, is a Québécois television personality, and the mother of pop singer Céline Dion...
, mother of world renowned Canadian French singer Céline DionCéline Marie Claudette Dion , CC, OQ is a Canadian singer, occasional songwriter, actress, and entrepreneur. Born to a large, impoverished family in Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to...
, grew up in La Tuque.
- Sylvie Roy
Sylvie Roy is a politician in Quebec, Canada, and the Action démocratique du Québec Member of the National Assembly for the electoral district of Lotbinière....
, politician
- Maude Guérin, actress
- Steven Guilbault, environmentalist (See French Wikipedia)
- Jean-Jacqui Boutet, actor (See French Wikipedia)
- Dominique Trottier, TV reporter (See French Wikipedia)
External links
La Tuque (Tourisme Haut-Saint-Maurice) Ville de La Tuque (Haut-Saint-Maurice) Eau Quai Saint-Maurice (Kayaking on St. Maurice River) Tourisme Mauricie Regional tourist office
Ski area profile in English