Businesses From Yesterday

Businesses From Yesterday

Auberge du Lac Commandant

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secondary residence was constructed around 1870 for Lady Hunt the daughter of Judge Gale. She hired the Poulter family to take care of her new home. Later, the nephew, George Charlie Poulter converted this home into a summer boarding house. The home was later purchased by Adrien Groulx to become the Boileau Inn, the

first  hotel  in  the  area.  It  was  around  950  that 

Mr. Paul Ayotte bought the hotel. Stories are that on certain dance nights, there were on occasion, police raids, and that the young girls went and hid in the upstairs rooms. Mr. Lucien Dore and his son Jacques, each in turn, took possession of

the business. It was a very lively spot where people came from everywhere around to dance to the music of quest orchestras. In 199 Mr. Guy and Gilles Caubel bought the hotel and transformed it transformed it into an auberge.

Auberge du Lac Canoe

(Lac Coursolle)

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t was owned by Mr. Oswald Coursolle. It opened up during the early 1900’s years. Its’ customers very often came by the Huberdeau train. Besides relaxing on the lake shore, the

people were involved in fishing or hunting. That 

is also the place where our secretary-treasurer

had  his  office.  Unfortunately  the  place  burned 

down in 1927.

Photo made available by André Coursolle

In the centre of the picture is George Ponsonby Poulter

with the white cane and Lady Hunt on horseback

A Cheese Box Factory

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ocated near the Charloux sawmill, this shop made cheese boxes of wood veneer. They were round. This activity started around 1900, to end around 190

Butcher

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hops

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round the year 1940, the butcher was Mr. Philip Gagné and he delivered his meat throughout the

municipality. At first the transportation was done by horse and cart and later on by truck. 

Following, Mr. Philip Ouellette became the butcher. Next to his house he had built a small store, including a cold storage room. Further-more, Mr. Ouellette took care of mail distri-bution for each

post office of  the municipality.

Épicerie“ La Grange”

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r. and Mrs. Nagant

opened their doors in 1976. The depanneur was in the barn behind the rectory, where they resided. It was more of a grocery store than a convenience store. They stayed open most anytime during the day.

Photo made available by Claudette Ouellette Photo made available by Blanche Mapp

Domain of the

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aint-Viateur Clerics

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round 1945, the authorities of the Bourget College were looking for a place to built a convalescent home or a summer camp. They had even met with Mr. Poulter at the time to visit the inn located at Commandant Lake. Informed of their inquiry, Curé Thivierge of Boileau proposed to them a land parcel located at Lake au Loup, property of Mr. Rolland Charron. In July, 1946, with the help of Rolland and of Rosario Charron,

the construction of  a first shed started, namely a 

cabin 18’ x 8’. During the period between 1955 and 1965, several small units were added to the central building. It was in 1972, a few brothers became permanent dwellers of the facilities and the services of the Sainte-Valérie parish were soon entrusted to Father Philippe Lalonde.

Blacksmith

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hop of Boileau

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t was located at the intersection of the Boileau and Maskinongé roads, facing the church. Mr. Telesphore Proulx was the blacksmith and his house was against the shop. It is believed that it closed down around 1920. We can see it on the

picture. They are the first buildings on the left and 

next to them is the second school of Boileau.

Boileau Cheese Factory.

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ne  of   the  first  owners  was  Mr.  James  Mc  Laughlin 

of Huberdeau. His employee was Mr. Philious (Fabien) Vanasse and he lived in the factory in 1911. Later on a cooperative used the building, with a screening machine, to clean seeds before sowing.

Photo made available by Yolande Charron Desjardins

The Brookdale Cheese Factory.

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he owners were Mr. Ipperciel around 1900 and Mr. Oscar Lambert around 1910. Later on Mr. Albert and William Meyer took their place. Their employee was Mr. Rodolphe Lapalme. The last cheese maked was Mr. Henry Meyer.

It closed around 1950.

First Boileau General

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tore

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t  was  Mr.  Perpetus  Poisssant  of   Boileau  who  opened  the  first  general  store  and  Post  office. According  to  the  first  parish  records  these businesses were  already  opened  in  882.  Later  on  Mr. 

Oswald Coursolle held this business to the end of 1890.

The Brookdale Hotel

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here was a hotel and general store

belon-ging at first to Mr. James McShea, jr. In 899, 

he sold it to Mr. Bourgeois a machinist from Montreal. In addition to the store, he was renting rooms to Mr. Louis Racicot, the blacksmith next door. The very last tenant was Mr. Jean Baptiste Proulx. The building burnt down around 1915.

The Currie General

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tore (Gramont)

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he owners were Mr. and Mrs. Henry Currie (Yvonne Charron). The store remained in business for years. It offered a wide choice of products from a pint of milk to the honey they produced. They closed their doors around 1972.

Photo made available by Lloyd Meyer

The Boileau General

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tore

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t was built towards the end of the 1890’s. The

building was first named Hotel Larose. Later on, 

towards 1920 it became a general store run by Mr. and Mrs. Barnadé Séguin.

The successive owners have been Mr. Mapp, Lalonde, Vezeau, Giroux and last Mr. And Mrs. Roland Charron (Adela Thomas). They closed around 1970.

The Giroux General

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tore (1930-1940)

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ocated in the centre of the village, opposite to the present city hall, Mr. Giroux ran a general store

where one could find almost anything, hardware, seeds, soft drinks and canned goods.

The Linton General

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tore

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his house was a general store run by Mr. Alex Linton at the beginning of the 1900’s. A place was provided to park horse carriages. It is the same house today, except for a few additions. Its owner is Mr. and Mrs. Donald Meyer (Lorna Larkin).

Photo made available by Chantal Parent

Boarding House

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r and Mrs Armand Lauzon (Rose-Alma Charron) offered a boarding facility to the workers of the neighbouring sawmill and day labourers of the area. They started business around 1915-20.

Carrignan

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awmill (1935-1940)

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t was ingeniously built by Mr.Carrignan at the brook leading from Lake Champagneur. Salvaging some old metal tanks, he welded them together to make some sort of aquaduct that would bring water to the turbine.

This installation also provided electric power. It lasted only a few summers.

The Chaloux

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awmill

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his mill was located on Brookdale Road close to the intersection with St-Remi Road. This sawmill

started operations around 890. The first dwellers of  the region, brought their logs to have them 

sawed. This mill depended on the river current to drive its’ equipment. There were 5 to 10 people working there during most of the year. In addition this mill was used to grind grain.

It closed down around 190.

The Boileau

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awmill

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his mill was built by the stepbrothers Jean Baptiste Bélanger and Agnas Tessier. This mill was steam powered. They sold it to Mr. Spencer and it closed around 1920.

The Rockway

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awmill (1930-40)

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he owner was Joe Dubeau and the installations were located at the intersection of Rockway Valley Road and Bois Coursolle.

The Rayged Chute

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n a map of 1870 vintage, the name of these falls already appears. The Maskinongé River had long been used for log driving. The long journey for the logs started at Lake Labelle and went all the way to the Rouge River. All winter long the wood was stacked on the bank to be later launched after the ice thaw. That place had always been a dangerous site to work for the drivers. It was said that two of them who died on the job were buried on the river bank.

The Blais Convenience

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tore

1940-1960

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t was at Mrs. Blais’s counter that people could take advantage of a light snack and refreshments. It was located facing the rectory of Boileau. Today it is owned by Marc Desjardins and Linda Nagant, our present municipal secretary

Photo made available by the Roughton Family

Restaurant Au Crapeau Blanc

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t was a small snack place near Lake Papineau and operated around 975-980. The first owners 

were Estelle Cossette and Serge Houde who had named their business Chez Ti-Paul. The last owners were Blandine Desjardins and Daniel Danis.

L’Ile Egale Restaurant (1989-1990)

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hat a play on words! The owners Nadine Proulx and Michel Demers had named it such since it was not permitted to start a business in that zone. But the authorities closed their eyes since there were no other stores on that territory. They served light meals and ice cream.

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chool Transportation

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e must not fail to mention the good services of Mrs. Dora Mapp Tessier as school bus driver, one of the earlier ones in the trade. She transported our young children during almost 45 years without any trouble or accident.

At the start she was using her private vehicle as a means of transportation. Even at a young age she was already driving her father’s trucks. Today,

despite being 80 years old, she shows no difficulty 

whatsoever driving her own car, come rain or shine.

Texte par Nadine Proulx, Boileau

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