Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, Quebec

Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! is a parish (a small town) in the region of Témiscouata, Bas-Saint-Laurent, near the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Québec, Canada. It is located southeast of Rivière-du-Loup along Route 185, about halfway to Edmundston in New Brunswick. Its population is 1,471. Its economy is mainly agricultural.

Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!'s motto is "Solidaire dans le labeur", French for "Solidarity in work". Its current mayor is Donald Viel.

Origin of the name

There is much speculation as to what the "Ha! Ha!" refers to. The "commission de toponymie" asserts that it refers to nearby Lake Témiscouata, the sense of here being an archaic French word for an unexpected obstacle or abruptly ending path. The Louis may refer to Louis Marquis, one of the first colonists of the region, or Louis-Antoine Proulx, vicar of Rivière-du-Loup, or perhaps the abbot Louis-Nicolas Bernier.

The exclamation marks were added colloquially and have since gained recognized status among Canadian federal institutions such as Poste Canada Post but often have not been as internationally recognized as in Westward Ho!

External links

* [http://www.saintlouisduhaha.com/ Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!]
* [http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/topos/carto.asp?Speci=57133&Latitude=47,66666&Longitude=-68,98333&Zoom=1700 Saint-Louis-du-Ha!-Ha!] at the "Commission de toponymie" of the government of Quebec.