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Lac-des-Seize-Îles (French for Sixteen Island Lake) is a village and municipality in the Laurentides region of Québec, Canada, part of the Les Pays-d’en-Haut Regional County Municipality. The municipality is named after Sixteen Island Lake (Lac des Seize Îles), with the village situated at the northern end of the lake.
Lac-des-Seize-Îles is located about 22 kilometers (14 mi) west of Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts in the Laurentian Mountains. The municipality is rectangular in shape and completely encompasses Lac-des-Seize-Îles. The lake is 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) long and has an elevation of 290 meters (950 ft). Its descriptive name, which was in use as early as 1899 refers to its islands, however is a misnomer. There are in fact eighteen small islands on the lake, although the two smallest have no official name and have been judged too small for habitation:
- Amsden
- aux Bleuets
- Campbell
- Christie
- Cook
- Corner
- Cossette
- d’Été
- Gardner
- Hawthorne
- Lebel
- Meyers
- Nettles
- Rodger
- Shetler
- Green
One of the two unnamed islands is commonly referred to as ‘Ile aux Bleuets’ (Blueberry Island), although another island with this name exists.
The shores of Sixteen Island Lake and most of the islands have been developed with cottages, making it a popular summer location when the population significantly swells. Most cottages are inaccessible by land and must be reached by boat.
The first pioneers arrived in this place in 1897, coming mainly from Saint-Joachim-de-Shefford and Roxton Falls. The post office opened a year later in 1898, identified under the English name of Sixteen Islands Lake. In 1901, the mission of Notre-Dame-de-la-Sagesse was established and became a parish in 1937. In 1914, the Municipality of Lac-des-Seize-Îles was formed by separating from the Township Municipalities of Montcalm and Wentworth.
