Toponymy | A misleading mountain, a creaking lake and the passage of time

Twelve place names, chosen from 1,300 officially baptized in 2022 by the Commission de Toponymy du Québec, are in the running for this year’s “Love at First Sight” title. What is popularity for? We asked Pierre Lahoud, a historian, photographer and author passionate about Quebec’s heritage and landscapes, to pick his favorite tribes.

cheater

Rouen-Noranda (Abitibi-Témiscamingue)

Many Quebec mountains don’t have names, laments Pierre Lahoud. “The fact that we started naming them deserves underlining. And it’s named Optical Illusion, I like it even better! “Because the hill of La Trompées, northeast of Rouin-Noranda in the Aiguebelle National Park, has the distinction of being more than 494 m high. It seems higher than the nearby Mount Dominant, the latter exceeds 71 ​​m, explains the commission in the sheet assigned to it. To reach its summit , take the “climbing trail” of Aiguebelle National Park, a mere 1 hour 30 minute hike.

Lake of the Crackling Stars

Bai-Kamau (North Coast)

Not a single road reaches the edge of this tiny lake (about 300 meters long), hidden in the forest about 20 km northeast of Bai-Komau. And maybe that’s why, when you stretch out on a frozen lake to observe the stars, only sounds break the silence. “One may believe that these sounds come from the stars, but it is a question of the ice of the lake cracking under the influence of the cold”, provokes the commission in the descriptive sheet of the lake, which was baptized last September. “I live by a river and there is nothing more unusual than the sound of ice cracking,” enthused Pierre Lahoud. “It represents our north. It’s a hard sound to explain to someone who has never heard it. »

Clos-des-Feaux-Follets

Terrebonne (Llanaudiere)

For centuries, the will-o-the-wisps – a natural luminous phenomenon found in places where organic matter decomposes, such as a swamp or a cemetery – has terrified night walkers. “Legend has it that you have to stick a knife in the fence to keep them away,” says Pierre Lahoud. In 2003, archaeological excavations prior to the construction of a new theater in Vieux-Terrebonne revealed the existence of an old cemetery used from 1734 to 1886. Le Clos-des-Feux-Follets, a green space. Behind the theater, therefore, bears a name reminiscent of local legends associated with cemeteries, says Pierre Lahoud.

A passing time park

Eastman (Estree)

This municipality in the Eastern Townships hosts Correspondence d’Eastman, a literary festival celebrating its 20th year.^e Edition in 2022. In the center of the village, a small park has been established on rue des Pins where walkers can picnic, admire the artworks on display or attend an outdoor concert. Or, more simply, to stroll, relax, read. “It’s a name that suits the village very well,” notes Pierre Lahoud. “It has nothing to do with history, but it’s just a beautiful place name. »

Noiseless River Square

Quebec (national capital)

On the way to the Rivière-Saint-Charles linear park, in the Saint-Sauveur district, this square extends, which was developed in 2008 and finally got its name. It evokes the nickname given to the Saint-Charles River between the Marie-de-Incarnation bridge and the Les Souls district in the 19th century.^e century At this place, the current is low, the river is calm and flows gently towards the river. The present-day district of Vanier, north of the river, briefly bore the name Petit-Rivière-sans-Bruit until the early 20th century.^e century, wrote the commission. “There is a remarkable poetry in this name,” says Pierre Lahoud. “Its name is old, it reminds us of the 19th^e century, people don’t just “survive”, they can be poetry when they name things. »

Corrigendum
This text has been edited from its original version to correct the description of Place de la Riviere-sans-Brute. It is in the district of Saint-Sauveur in the borough of La Cite-Limoilou in Quebec and not in the district of Limoilou as we have suggested.