Barraute () is a municipality in the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, located in the

Abitibi Regional County Municipality Abitibi Regional County Municipality () is a regional county municipality in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec. The seat is Amos. Subdivisions There are 18 subdivisions within the RCM: ;Cities & Towns (1) * Amos ;Municipalities (10 ...

. It is home to the Mont-Vidéo Ski Resort.

History

Colonization began after the completion of the

National Transcontinental Railway The National Transcontinental Railway (NTR) was a historic railway between Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Moncton, New Brunswick, in Canada. Much of the line is now operated by the Canadian National Railway. The Grand Trunk partnership The completion o ...

through the Abitibi region. In 1916, the family of Uldéric Hardy arrived, followed by a further 20 in 1917 and, by 1918, the place had a total of some 30 families. The new settlement was initially called Natagan, taken from the Natagan River, a

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

name that means "winding waters." In 1917, the Natagan River Post Office opened, renamed to Barraute in 1919. In 1918, the United Township Municipality of Fiedmont-et-Barraute was formed, incorporating the geographic townships of Fiedmont and Barraute (proclaimed in 1916). Pierre-Jean Bachoie, called Barraute (1723-1760), was an officer of the

Régiment de Béarn A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service, or specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted in one ...

in the army of General Montcalm and member of the

Order of Saint Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis () is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, notable as the fi ...

. Fiedmont likewise was an officer of the army of Montcalm. In 1948, a portion of the municipal territory separated and was incorporated as the Village Municipality of Barraute. In 1950, zinc and silver mines began operating, that in addition to its favourable location along the railroad and Laflamme River (a tributary of the Bell River), contributed to the local prosperity. In 1951, the United Township Municipality of Fiedmont-et-Barraute changed status to just municipality. But the closure of the zinc and silver mines in 1957, as well as the closure in 1965 of Canada's only

lithium Lithium (from , , ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the ...

mine in neighbouring La Corne, dealt a blow to the economy of Barraute. In 1978, the Town of Barville (incorporated in 1953) was merged into the Municipality of Fiedmont-et-Barraute and, in 1994, the Municipalities of Fiedmont-et-Barraute and Barraute were regrouped into the new Municipality of Barraute.

Demographics

Private dwellings occupied by usual residents (2021): 930 (total dwellings: 1,012) Mother tongue (2021): * English as first language: 0.5% * French as first language: 98.7% * English and French as first language: 0.3% * Other as first language: 0.5%

Economy

In 2012, Quebec Lithium Corp. reopened Quebec Lithium Mine, which had operated as an underground mine from 1955 to 1965. They are planning to carve an open pit mine over

pegmatite A pegmatite is an igneous rock showing a very coarse texture, with large interlocking crystals usually greater in size than and sometimes greater than . Most pegmatites are composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica, having a similar silicic c ...

dikes. (The pegmatite is about 1%

lithium carbonate Lithium carbonate is an inorganic compound, the lithium salt of carbonic acid with the chemical formula, formula . This white Salt (chemistry), salt is widely used in processing metal oxides. It is on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines, Wor ...

.) The mine is about north of

Val-d'Or Val-d'Or ( , , ; meaning "Golden Valley" or "Valley of Gold") is a city in Quebec, Canada with a population of 32,752 inhabitants according to the 2021 Canadian census. The city is located in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region near La Vérendrye ...

, southeast of

Amos Amos or AMOS may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Amos'' (album), an album by Michael Ray * Amos (band), an American Christian rock band * ''Amos'' (film), a 1985 American made-for-television drama film * Amos (guitar), a 1958 Gibson Fl ...

, and west of Barraute. Access to the mine is via paved road from Val-d'Or.

Government

Municipal council (as of 2024): * Mayor: Josseline Lepage * Councillors: Michel Gagnon, Marie-Joëlle Desrosiers, Lucie Grenier, Joël Jobin, Manon Plante, Jérôme Petit

References

External links