Last modified: 2017-04-10 by rob raeside
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The Town ("ville") of La Tuque (12,187 inhabitants in 2006; 28,421 sq. km,
therefore the second largest municipality in Québec and the sixth in Canada) is
located 170 km north of Trois-Rivières, in the Region of Mauricie.
Located in the upper basin of the river Saint-Maurice, the territory of La Tuque
was originally inhabited by Atikamekw Amerindians. The Municipality of the
Village of La Tuque was founded in 1909; the next year, the Municipality of the
Village of La Tuque Falls was founded nearby, both villages being merged in 1911
to form the Town of La Tuque. In 1993, the Municipality of Haute-Mauricie,
founded in 1972, was merged with the Town of La Tuque. On 26 March 2003, the
Municipalities of La Bostonnais, La Croche and Lac-Édouard, the Municipality of
the Village of Parent and the non-incorporate territories of the MRC of
Haut-Saint-Maurice were incorporated into La Tuque; La Bostonnais and Lac-Édouard
were detached again on 1 January 2006.
La Tuque seems to have been named
after a hill used by the trappers sailing on the river to locate the place. The
word "tuque" was used in Périgord (south-west of France) and seems to have been
brought to Québec by early colonists. In Québec, a "tuque" is also a night cap
topped with a pompom (see the municipal arms).
La Tuque is the birth
place of the great poet and singer Félix Leclerc (1914-1988), a main voice of
the Québec culture. On 13 August 1974, he gave a big concert with Robert
Charlebois and Gilles Vigneault for more than 100,000 gathered in the Plains of
Abraham, Québec.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euyf6JkvQ8I - 1962
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtVSORM_tOU - 1983
http://www.ville.latuque.qc.ca -
Municipal website
La Tuque has changed its flag following the adoption in September 2012
of a new municipal logo, designed by Cynthia Martineau, from the Imprimerie
Commerciale. The municipal arms are the main element of the logo, as a
tribute to the rich history of the municipality. The waves represent a young
and dynamic town.
Photo
http://www.ilesdelamadeleine.com/2015/09/la-tuque-et-les-iles-de-la-madeleine-echangent-leur-drapeau-pour-une-journee/
Ivan Sache, 27 March 2017
image by Ivan Sache, 29 September 2010
On 3 April 2009, Marc Rochette reports in "Le Nouvelliste" that 16
citizens of La Tuque, serving in the Canadian Forces in Afghanistan, will
bring the municipal flag there. On the colour photo illustrating the
article, the flag of La Tuque appears as white with the municipal coat of
arms surmonting "VILLE DE LA TUQUE" in black letters.
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-nouvelliste/actualites/200904/03/01-843115-seize-latuquois-en-afghanistan.php
The municipal arms of La Tuque, as shown
and described on the municipal website, are "D'azur à la fasce ondée d'argent
chargé d'un dard vivré de gueules posé en fasce, la pointe à sénestre,
accompagné en chef de deux sapins arrachés d'or et en pointe d'une tuque
aussi d'or" (Azure a fess wavy argent charged with a thunderbolt gules per
fess pointing sinister in chief two firs eradicated or in base a tuque of the
same).
The azure colour symbolizes the purity of the space.
Gold symbolizes light, justice, strength, faith and constancy.
The wavy fess represents the river Saint-Maurice.
The thunderbolt represents hydroelectricity and the vivid inhabitants
of the town.
The firs represent the forest as a source of income.
The "tuque" is canting for the name of the town.
The shield is surmounted by a mural crown recalling the status of
town granted to La Tuque. The shield is flanked by two maple branches tied
by a red ribbon and supporting a yellow scroll charged with the Latin motto
of the town, "Industriis et labore cresco", "I grow through industry and
work".
http://www.tourismehsm.qc.ca/armoiries.html
Ivan Sache, 3 April 2009