Antoine-Labelle

Antoine-Labelle is a regional Municipalité of county (MRC) of the Quebec (Canada) in the administrative area of the Laurentides. It is named in the honor of Antoine Labelle, the colonizing priest of the countries of in top.

This MRC was made up on January 1st 1983 and it is made up of 15 Municipalité S: that is to say 2 City S, 12 Municipality S and 1 Village. It contains also 11 not-organized territories. Its chief town is Mount-Bay-tree. Its prefect in 2007 is Roger Lapointe, mayor of Mount-Saint-Michel.

Surface: 15 658,86 km ²

Population: 34.641 inhabitants (2005)

Density: 2,2 hab./km²

History

Geography

The total population of the MRC was of 34.180 inhabitants in 2004. This population is found on a total territory of 15.665 km ², of which 10.000 km ² consist of non-municipalized territories. Compared to the wide one of the administrative area of Laurentides (21 500 km ²), the MRC of Antoine-Labelle thus accounts for 73% of space regional. The MRC is bordered in north by the MRC of the High Saint-Maurice, in the west, by the MRC of Valley-in-the-Gatineau, the east, by the MRC of Matawinie and in the south, by the MRC of Laurentides and of Papineau. Therefore, the MRC of Antoine-Labelle touches at the same time, the administrative area of Outaouais and that of Lanaudière.

Amerindian presence

At the beginning of the 17th century, the Amerindians whom one could find on the territory of what will be later the county of Labelle came from the nation of Algonquins inferiors, more precisely of the group of Weskarinis (also called by people of News-France the Small-Nation). This group “traversed a vast territory bathed by water of the river of the Small Nation, and by those of the Red and Hare, certainly, and probably also by those of North” (Laurin, 1995, p. 51). Therefore, there was probably no permanent occupation of the ground by Weskarinis, people used this territory to drive out and fish during the winter season. In the same way, in the North of the river of Outaouais, where the Gatineau rivers and the Hare began, another group of the nation algonquine, Head-of-Swell, came to practice the same activities in the High-Hare (Coursol, 1985, p. 8).

The wars iroquoises will decimate these Amerindians so well, that during the years 1650, one will find of it any more none on the territory. However, from Algonquins will return about the years 1730, after the signature of the Great Peace of Montreal pushed back in the valleys of the Red and Hare by “the rise of forest industry and the deployment of the movement of colonization” (Laurin, 1995, p. 71). Finally, colonization being inserted always further in the north High-Laurentides at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century will be right of the “Amerindian occupation of traditional type on this territory” (Laurin, 1995, p. 73). Thus, the Amerindians on the territory are adapted to the life mode of the colonists or left to live in the reserve of Maniwaki, reserves intended for Algonquins.

Colonization with the Labelle priest

At the national level, the time of the Labelle priest was largely marked by the massive Canadian-French emigration towards the United States. In fact, between 1850 and 1890,580 000 French-speaking inhabitants left the country (Seam, 2003, p. 162), hoping to find elsewhere better living conditions.

Before the arrival of the mobilization in favor of colonization High-Laurentides, movement carried out by the priest Labelle, the territory of the future canton of Labelle is occupied in a permanent way only by the farms of supply set up by the wood merchants. These farms are built at various places along the Rouge rivers (farms “of in-low”, “of the medium” and “of in-high”, which will become respectively Labelle, the Annunciation and the Rise) and of the Hare (most important being farms of the Mountain, Rouge, of Lacaux and the Pines, which will give birth respectively to Firm-New, Kiamika, Notre-Dame de Pontmain and Notre-Dame of Laus). Indeed, as from 1835, the forestry development will invade the Highones for finally monopolizing, so to speak, all the territory (see chart of right-hand side preceding page) thanks to obtaining enormous ground concessions timbered by the rather generous provincial law.

By promoting the colonization of High-Hare and the Red as from 1979, “it is thus a movement of squatters, in a strict sense, which Labelle carries out and it will have several times nets to leave with these powerful companies which contribute for a substantial share to the Treasury and liberally feed the electoral cases of the political parties” (Laurin, 1995, p. 273). This year, “the Labelle priest founds the Company of colonization of the diocese of Montreal to assure of the means of financing colonization in Laurentides” (Seam, 2003, p. 159). It is at that time that the village of Fall-with-Iroquois (which will become later Labelle) will be founded, the Annunciation a few years later, the parish of the Rise in 1884 and Nominingue will receive its first colonists about at the same time. This last locality was “the indicated capital of the Scandinavian kingdom of the colonizing apostle” (Laurin, 1995, p. 267), the Labelle priest. However, Rapid-of-L' Moose (today Mount-Bay-tree), which will accommodate colonists as from 1885, will succeed in stealing the high-speed motorboat in Nominingue by the mediation in particular of its stubborn priest and will become, during the years 1910, the capital of the county of Labelle with all the institutions being attached to this role.

In the years 1884-1885, “in little time, many establishments border two banks of Hare on a twenty kilometers length and a depth of two rows. Already, one is established while going up towards Firm-New. In southern direction, between Wells and Kiamika, colonization started at the same time” (Laurin, 1995, p. 268).

Farms of companies forest, which is abandoned when the cut of the territory is finished, become in many cases of the cores of parishes or villages, whereas cleared space, left by the demolition of the trees, gives a place favourable with the colonists to settle (Laurin, 1995, p. 246; Coursol, 1985, p. 24).

First transport infrastructures

During several years, the river of Hare will be the only “way” to go to Mount-Bay-tree, no road on ground not connecting the Rouge river to Hare. The whole changed in 1885, whereas one proceeded to the opening of a way of colonization, the Chapleau way. This last made it possible to reach the area of Mount-Bay-tree from Fall-with-Iroquoi (Labelle) until until the Firm-Red, while passing by Nominingue. “This road will be truly providential for colonization because, hardly finished, the valley of Hare will make first agricultural great strides whereas the first colonists arrive in exploration in the area of the rapid of the Moose. ” (Coursol, 1985, p. 35) Later, in 1905, another way of colonization will be open between Nominingue and Firm-New, but without passing by Rapid-to-L' Moose. The Goin way will on the other hand never have repercussions of the width of the way Chapleau (Coursol, 1985, p. 117).

With regard to the railroad between Montreal and Mount-Bay-tree, it is initially under the impulse of the Labelle priest that it will be to prolong, but not as quickly as the man the wish. Thus, they are only in 1893, that is to say two years after the death of the priest who “the rails arrive until Fall-with-Iroquois, on the Rouge river” (Coursol, 1985, p. 122). Then, in 1904, one can go by train until Nominingue, whereas Mount-Bay-tree must wait until 1909 to obtain its station which will be finally the terminus of this line. The “p' tit train of North” as it familiarly was called brought with him its batch of new colonists and made thrive the locality which was used as terminus throughout its progression towards north.

The train will have to then yield gradually its place to the roads and the cars as from the years 1920. Thus, a “regional road” (road 11, the current one traced of the 117) gravelled will connect Montreal to Mount-Bay-tree, making following the piteous ways of colonization. On the other hand, the county of Labelle still remained very distant, “of very risky access for the car on ways which the seasons enjoyed to deteriorate and to make often completely impracticable. it will be necessary to wait the shortly after the Second world war before the provincial authorities seriously do not plan to equip road 11 with a permanent paving in the county of Labelle” (Laurin, 1995, p. 520). All the same, with beginning of the year 30, Mount-Bay-tree will be able to finally communicate with Outaouais, until Hull, by a gravelled road. One decade later, a road will connect the capital of the county of Labelle to the area of Abitibi, until Senneterre. Finally, beginning of the year 80, one carried out “alterations of old road 117, beyond Saint-Jovite, in a modern way, broad of four ways and framed of a panoramic decoration” (Laurin, 1995, p. 525).

County of Labelle to the MRC of Antoine-Labelle

Until 1912, the territory of the current MRC belonged to the county of Ottawa with all the cantons of Outaouais. Then, the county of Ottawa will be divided into two and the county of Labelle (with the limits wider than the MRC) will be born from this scission. Cutting and the organization territorial that one knows today, go back to January 1st, 1983, whereas the MRC of Antoine-Labelle was created. However, at the time, this one was part of the administrative area of Outaouais, but well quickly, in 1984, it will be detached from it to be attached to the area of Laurentides, following consultations with the population and of the representatives (Marcotte and Roy, 1985, p. 329).

After a strong mobility of colonization in the Labelle county, the Twenties will bring a wind of stagnation, whereas the area makes place with new area of colonization high-speed motorboat: Abitibi. “The county of Labelle seemed more and more relegated to the oubliettes by the movement of colonization, but the economic crisis will come to still poke a time the ember remainder which always burned under ashes, in the years of the decade 1930. ” (Laurin, 1995, p. 487) the end of the Second world war will ring the knell of the depopulation and the inhabitants of the county will emigrate towards Montreal or the Lowones, where industrialization gains certain localities. In fact, until today, if some cities and villages in the Red succeeded in attracting new inhabitants, it is thanks to the arrival in the area of some institutions allowing to employ them (Laurin, 1995, p. 504). In hare, Mount-Bay-tree was rather well left there until now under the terms of its “vital sous-régional role in a valley of High-Hare isolated in great urban centres” (Laurin, 1995, p. 506).

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