Lac-des-Seize-Îles, Quebec

Lac-des-Seize-Îles
Municipality
Location within Les Pays-d'en-Haut RCM
Lac-des-Seize-Îles Location in central Quebec
Coordinates: 45°54′N 74°28′W / 45.900°N 74.467°WCoordinates: 45°54′N 74°28′W / 45.900°N 74.467°W[1]
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Laurentides
RCM	Les Pays-d'en-Haut
Settled	1897
Constituted	February 19, 1914
Government[2]
• Mayor	Yves Baillargeon
• Federal riding	Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel
• Prov. riding	Argenteuil
Area[2][3]
• Total	13.30 km^2 (5.14 sq mi)
• Land	9.07 km^2 (3.50 sq mi)
Elevation[4]	290 m (950 ft)
Population (2011)[3]
• Total	223
• Density	24.6/km^2 (64/sq mi)
• Pop (2006–11)	39.4%
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code(s)	J0T 2M0
Area code(s)	450 and 579
Website	www.lac-des-seize-iles.ca

Lac-des-Seize-Îles (French pronunciation: ​[lak de sɛz il]; French for Sixteen Islands Lake) is a village and municipality in the Laurentides region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Les Pays-d'en-Haut Regional County Municipality. The municipality surrounds and is named after Sixteen Island Lake (Lac des Seize Îles) with the village situated at the northern end of this lake.

Geography

Lac-des-Seize-Îles is located about 22 kilometers (14 mi) west of Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts in the Laurentian Mountains. The municipality is rectangular in shape, completely encompassing Sixteen Island Lake. This lake is 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) long and has an elevation of 290 meters (950 ft). Its descriptive name, which was in use as early as 1899 refers to its islands, however is a misnomer. There are in fact eighteen small islands on the lake, although the two smallest have no official name and have been judged too small for habitation:^[4]

• Amsden
• aux Bleuets
• Campbell
• Christie
• Cook
• Corner
• Cossette
• d'Été
• Gardner
• Hawthorne
• Lebel
• Myers
• Nettles
• Rodger
• Shetler
• Verte

One of the two unnamed islands is commonly referred to as 'Ile aux Bleuets', although another island with this name exists.

The shores of Sixteen Island Lake and most of the islands are developed with cottages, making it a popular summer location when the population swells significantly.^[4] Most cottages are inaccessible by land and must be reached by boat.

History

Laurentian House, Sixteen Island Lake, about 1910

The first pioneers arrived in this place in 1897, coming mainly from Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford and Roxton Falls. The post office opened a year later in 1898, identified under the English name of Sixteen Island Lake. In 1901, the mission of Notre-Dame-de-la-Sagesse was established and became a parish in 1937. In 1914, the Municipality of Lac-des-Seize-Îles was formed by separating from the Township Municipalities of Montcalm and Wentworth.^[5]

Pine Lake, located 1.5 km from Lac-des-Seize-Îles, received its first share of summer vacationers in 1907. A post office, identified as Lac-des-Pins, was serving vacationers between 1922 and 1954.^[5]

Demographics

Population trend:^[6]

• Population in 2011: 223 (2006 to 2011 population change: 39.4%)
• Population in 2006: 160 (2001 to 2006 population change: -33.9 %)
• Population in 2001: 242
• Population in 1996: 184
• Population in 1991: 205

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 106 (total dwellings: 341)

Mother tongue:

• English as first language: 9.5%
• French as first language: 89.5%
• English and French as first language: 0%
• Other as first language: 1%

See also

• List of municipalities in Quebec

References

1. Reference number 33059 of the Commission de toponymie du Québec (French)
2. Geographic code 77055 in the official Répertoire des municipalités (French)
3. "(Code 2477055) Census Profile". 2011 census. Statistics Canada. 2012.
4. "Lac des Seize Îles" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
5. "Lac-des-Seize-Îles (Municipalité)" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
6. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census