Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette, Quebec

Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette
Coordinates: 45°46′04″N 75°35′07″W / 45.76778°N 75.58528°W / 45.76778; -75.58528Coordinates: 45°46′04″N 75°35′07″W / 45.76778°N 75.58528°W / 45.76778; -75.58528
Country	Canada
Province	Quebec
Region	Outaouais
RCM	Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais
Settled	1845
Incorporation	May 17, 1979
Government
- Type	Municipality
- Mayor	Roger Laflamme
- Ridings:
- Federal	Pontiac
- Provincial	Papineau
Area[1]
- Total	117.54 km2 (45.4 sq mi)
- Land	113.56 km2 (43.8 sq mi)
Population (2006)[2]
- Total	774
- Density	6.8/km2 (17.6/sq mi)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Postal Code	J0X
Area code(s)	819
Access Routes	Route 309

Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette and the Lièvre River.

Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette is a village and municipality in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. It is part of the Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais Regional County Municipality, straddling the eastern banks of the Du Lièvre River.

History

In 1841, the Township of Portland, named after the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England, was formed. From 1845 on, it was colonized by Irish and French Canadians, followed by Norwegians in 1860. A year later in 1861, the township was reorganized as a township municipality. A post office followed in 1883. French priests established a parish in 1905, named after the French pilgrimage location Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette. ^[3]

During the early morning hours of April 26, 1908, a deadly landslide killed at least 34 people while sending 15 homes into the Lievre River including the residence of then-mayor Camille Lapointe. As the river was blocked by mud and land, a wave was sent into the village damaging or destroying several other structures. The toll could have been larger as a few years before the event the closure of a mine forced over 200 families to leave the village. Other major landslides were recorded in the village, twice in 1900 and in 1912 where several key infrastructures were demolished and swept away. A major fire also destroyed a large section of the village in 1903. ^[4]

In 1966, Portland was renamed to Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette. On January 1, 1975, it was merged into a new City of Buckingham. But because of public outcry, this merger didn't last long. In 1980, Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette regained its municipal autonomy. ^[3]

Demographics

Demographics:^[5]

• Population in 2006: 774
• Population in 2001: 706
  • 2001 to 2006 population change: 9.6 %
• Population in 1996: 678
• Population in 1991: 658

Total private dwellings (excluding seasonal cottages): 335

Languages:

• English as first language: 20 %
• French as first language: 78 %
• Other as first language: 2 %

References

1. ^ Total area: Affaires municipales et régions Québec (MAMR)
   Land area: Statistics Canada
2. ^ Statistics Canada 2006 census
3. ^ ^{a b} "Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. http://www.toponymie.gouv.qc.ca/ct/topos/carto.asp?Speci=98673&Latitude=45,76667&Longitude=-75,58334&Zoom=1700. Retrieved 2008-04-10. 
4. ^ "Un village en plein cauchemar". Le Droit. April 26, 2008. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20080425/CPDROIT/80425279/5046/CPDROIT. 
5. ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census