Butte d’Érables [Maple Hill]

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“There were two buttes [d’Érables] in Saint-Elzéar… It depends who you talk to! […] There was the hill at Hector Lebrun’s place on [Rang] 14 or else at Hector Arsenault’s place on Rang 12 Ouest. Two Hectors even!” ¹ 

This merry confusion is reminiscent of the sense of proximity often associated with the use of local place names. The name butte d’Érables (Maple Hill) describes the location in the simplest way; it doesn’t single it out beyond any doubt (there are many maple hills and mountains in the area). To fully grasp the spirit of this place, you have to give space to the words and memories attached to the landscape, so that, between the tree and the bark, the territory of childhood can unfold.

DÉCOUVRIR > tous les lieux-dits de cette ville

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AUDIO

[FRENCH] Interview with Marie-Louis et Monette Bourdages, April 8, 2025.

The two hills.

Sugar shack.

“They were everywhere. The first thing we did was set up a little camp.”

F.-X. Giasson’s mill.

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NOTES

¹ Marie-Louis Bourdages, interview, story collected by the artist, April 10, 2025.

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IMAGE

1. Marie-Claude De Souza, 2026.