L'Isle-aux-Allumettes | |
|---|---|
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 Location within Pontiac RCM | |
  L'Isle-aux-Allumettes Location in SW Quebec | |
| Coordinates:45°52′N77°04′W / 45.867°N 77.067°W /45.867; -77.067[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Quebec |
| Region | Outaouais |
| RCM | Pontiac |
| Constituted | December 30, 1998 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Corey Spence |
| • Federal riding | Pontiac—Kitigan Zibi |
| • Prov. riding | Pontiac |
| Area | |
• Total | 210.60 km2 (81.31 sq mi) |
| • Land | 185.94 km2 (71.79 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[3] | |
• Total | 1,382 |
| • Density | 7.4/km2 (19/sq mi) |
| • Pop (2016-21) |  3.6% |
| • Dwellings | 1,124 |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Postal code(s) | |
| Area code | 819 |
| Highways |  R-148 |
| Website | www |
L'Isle-aux-Allumettes (French pronunciation:[liloz‿alymɛt]) is amunicipality in theOutaouais region, part of thePontiac Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. The municipality consists primarily ofAllumette Island (in FrenchÎle aux Allumettes), and also includes Morrison Island, Marcotte Island, and some minor islets, all in theOttawa River north ofPembroke.
In the past, the island and municipalities have been spelled in French in various ways:[4]
The nameIsle-aux-Allumettes literally means "Island of Matches", and may refer to a box ofmatches that was left behind. In 1686,Chevalier de Troyes wrote about the island: “A Jesuit passing here another time forgot a box of matches which he carried to make a fire. This is why theVoyageurs gave the name “L’Isle-aux-Allumettes”.[5]
Another theory claims that the place was named for the reeds that grew on the island which were used as matches.[5]
Allumette Island is 22 kilometres (14 mi) long and 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) wide, making it the largest island within the Ottawa River along its entire course. At this point the Ottawa River has widened into a lake, called Allumette Lake, which is 52 km (32 mi) long and has a total surface area of 120 km2 (46 sq mi).[6]
The municipality consists mostly of agricultural land. Its population centres areChapeau, Desjardinsville, Demers Centre, and Saint-Joseph.[7]
TheKichesipiriniAlgonquins first occupied the site in order to maintain control of trade on the Ottawa River. For this reason,Samuel de Champlain named itIsle des Algoumequins during his trip of 1613. In 1650, this native population was almost entirely exterminated by theIroquois.[6]
In his memoirs written during the second half of the 17th century,Nicolas Perrot made mention of the "One-Eyed Man's Island otherwise called Matches Island" ("Isle du Borgne autrement ditte l'Isle des Allumettes"). "One-Eyed" was a reference to the disability ofTessouat, an Algonquin chief in the region. The name "Allumettes" was first given to the rapids south-east of the island; a map from 1680 refers to these asSault des Allumettes (Matches Falls).[6]
It was not until 1818 that Europeans began to settle on the island. They worked mostly as loggers or for theHudson's Bay Company which had a fur trading post just upstream atFort William. The preferred transport route was still the river, so most families build their homes on the southside of the island where the church of Saint-Alphonse-de-l'Île-aux-Allumettes Parish was built in 1840.[6] The Île-aux-Allumettes Township was formed in 1847,[8] and its first mayor was Andrew Whelan.[7]
An intense fire destroyed almost all the buildings in 1853 and, thereafter, the population settled more toward the northern part, on the current site ofChapeau village.[6] In 1874, the village of Chapeau separated from the township and became an incorporated municipality,[9] with Patrick Cunningham as the first mayor.[7]
In 1910, the parish of Saint-Joseph-de-l'Île-aux-Allumettes was established on the eastern part of the island, leading to the formation of the Municipality of L'Isle-aux-Allumettes-Partie-Est in 1920.[10]
On December 30, 1998, the municipality of Chapeau Village and the township municipalities of L'Isle-aux-Allumettes and L'Isle-aux-Allumettes-Part-East were merged into the new Municipality of L'Isle-aux-Allumettes.[4]
| 2021 | 2016 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,382 (+3.6% from 2016) | 1,334 (-0.8% from 2011) | 1,345 (-6.8% from 2006) |
| Land area | 185.94 km2 (71.79 sq mi) | 186.02 km2 (71.82 sq mi) | 185.87 km2 (71.76 sq mi) |
| Population density | 7.4/km2 (19/sq mi) | 7.2/km2 (19/sq mi) | 7.2/km2 (19/sq mi) |
| Median age | 50.0 (M: 48.8, F: 50.8) | 50.6 (M: 49.8, F: 51.3) | 47.7 (M: 47.3, F: 47.9) |
| Private dwellings | 1,124 (total) 621 (occupied) | 1,126 (total) | 1,122 (total) |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $54,400 | $.N/A |
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| Population amounts prior to 1998 are total of L'Isle-aux-Allumettes CT, L'Isle-aux-Allumettes-Partie-Est CT, and Chapeau VL. Source: Statistics Canada[14] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mother tongue (2021):[3]
List of former mayors (since formation of current municipality):[15]
The main highway on the island,Quebec Route 148, extends easterly throughGatineau toMontreal. At its western terminus in L'Isle-aux-Allumettes, the roadway crosses the Ottawa River and continues asOntario Highway 148 intoLaurentian Valley andPembroke.
Media related toL'Isle-aux-Allumettes at Wikimedia Commons
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 Subdivisions ofPontiac Regional County Municipality | |
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