It started out as Portland Township, opened in 1861 and named after a place in England, with Irish, French-Canadian and Norwegian settlers arriving from the 1840s. The current name, after the La Salette shrine in France, only dates from 1966. Locals know the date April 26, 1908: that Sunday morning, part of the riverbank across from the village slid into the Lièvre and 34 people died.
Today the village is about 30 km from Gatineau on Route 309, close enough that plenty of people commute. Summer fills the campground on Lac de l'Argile and the golf course. Fall and winter bring hunters, ATVs and snowmobiles. The municipality moved from the Collines MRC to the MRC de Papineau in 2022, but its customers still come from both sides.
What makes Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette
The 1908 landslide
On April 26, 1908, the right bank of the Lièvre gave way across from the village. 34 people died, and several were never found.
Lac de l'Argile
Named for its clay bottom. Camping, fishing and a beach a few minutes from the village.
Canoeing the Lièvre
The town promotes the river for family canoe trips, with a waterfront park and a boat launch.
A proud ball field
The municipality calls its baseball diamond the finest in the Basse-Lièvre. We'll let them have that one.
From Portland to La Salette
Post office in 1883, parish in 1905, new name in 1966. Merged into Buckingham in 1975, independent again in 1980.
A few local businesses in Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette
- Camping Royal Papineau · campground · chemin du Golf, Lac de l'Argile
326 sites, ready-to-camp units, cottages, a beach and a marina, open May to mid-October. - Club de golf Royal Papineau · 18-hole golf course · chemin du Golf
A par-72 course with rooms and a beach on site. - BMR Express Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette · hardware and farm supply · Route 309
The former Comptoir agricole Salette, now run by Émile Charette & Fils of Buckingham, a business going back to 1956.
Getting found in Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette
Two crowds meet in La Salette. Campers and golfers from Gatineau and Ottawa between May and October, many of them English-speaking, searching for food, pizza or ice near me. And locals plus the Buckingham area looking for a contractor, hardware or farm products. Several village businesses have no website at all, and some Google profiles have no hours or photos. A complete profile and a bilingual page mean you show up when someone searches from Gatineau, not only when they drive by. We're in Montpellier, in the same MRC.
Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette has a population of 925 (2026), according to the Quebec government's population order.
Petite Nation Numérique is not affiliated with the municipality or the MRC; this information comes from public sources.
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DetailsFrequently asked questions
My customers come from Gatineau as much as from here. Who do I target?
Both. A page that clearly names Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette, the Lièvre valley and the Buckingham area helps Google show you to the right people on both sides.
I only have a Facebook page. Is that enough?
For regulars, maybe. For someone searching from Gatineau, a complete Google profile and a simple site show up well before a Facebook page.
Do you come to Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette?
Yes. We are based in Montpellier and meet clients in person anywhere in the MRC de Papineau, including Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette. We can also work entirely online.
My business is small. Is an online presence worth the investment?
Yes, particularly in a rural region. A complete Google profile and a simple site are often enough to stand out from competitors who aren't online. We start with what pays off most for your budget.