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La Tuque, Quebec, incorporated 1911, population 11,001 (2016 census), 11,227 (2011 census). La Tuque is located on the Rivière Saint-Maurice,
165 km north of Trois-Rivières. The town was built at the start of the 20th century at the site of a former trading post.
It owes its name to a mountain shaped like a triangular woolen hat, popularly known as a “tuque.” The town’s economy is driven in large
part by the forestry industry.
History
In 1904, the Brown Corp., an American paper company, bought the falls and neighbouring lands at the townsite. In 1907, the company built a pulp mill powered by electricity from a dam. The site became a gathering place for forest workers and La Tuque grew.
Today, La Tuque’s hydroelectric stations are owned by Hydro-Québec. In 1954, the Canadian International Paper Company bought the pulp mill. The company operated the mill until 1988, when it was sold to Canadian Pacific Forest Products. Since then, several different companies have owned the mill. Today it is operated by WestRock, an American paper packaging company, and continues to be a major employer for the region.
