Charette

Charette is a parish municipality of the Maskinongé Region (MRC de Maskinongé), in Basse-Mauricie, in Quebec, Canada.

Understand

History

The toponym Charette evokes the memory of Édouard de Charette for his dedication to the public cause of development of the locality of Charette. He was personally involved in bringing the railway to Charette. A section linking Trois-Rivières and Shawinigan has been erected, with a train station in Charette.

The immaculate wooden and painted white church was erected in Charette in 1909. The first mayor, Joseph De Charette, led the municipality from 1918 to 1927. The municipality's motto is "Proudly and always better". This motto is affixed to the bottom of the municipal coat of arms.

Geography

The village of Charette is built on an elevation, at the foot of the lofty Laurentian range. The course of the Yamachiche river is very meandering upstream from the village; it crosses the village in a northeast direction.

Besides the main village, the main hamlets are Domaine-Samson and Domaine-Marchand, located around a small lake. Residences are denser along Route 351 leading north to Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, as well as along Chemin de la Grande-Ligne.

Economy

Economic activities in Charette have mainly been: agriculture, forestry, small industries (e.g., sawmill), local businesses and local services (e.g., municipality, primary education).

The territory to the east of the village (therefore to the east of the railway) has an entirely agricultural vocation. While the western part of the territory is mostly wooded.

Get in

The village of Charette is accessible by train, road, snowmobile and all-terrain vehicles.

By car

• From Montreal (140 km (87 mi), 1 hr 44 min). Take highway 40 (north shore) eastbound up to Yamachiche; take route 153 (northbound) through the village of Saint-Barnabé-Nord; take road 351 (northbound) to the village of Charette.
• From Quebec City (168 km (104 mi), 2 hr). Take highway 40 (direction West); cross the city of Trois-Rivières; take Autoroute 55 (northbound) to Saint-Étienne-des-Grès; take Chemin des Dalles (westbound); take the 2nd row (northbound), to the village of Charette.

Get around

• 1 Borne véhicule électrique (Electric charging stations), 390, rue St-Édouard, ☏ +1 800-686-9243. Charging station for electric vehicles. (updated Nov 2021)
• 2 Borne véhicule électrique (Electric charging stations), 554, rue Notre-Dame, ☏ +1 844-825-3356. Charging station for electric vehicles. (updated Nov 2021)

See

Heritage tour

• 1 Chute à Magnan, rang des 12 Terres (upstream from Chemin du Rang des 12 Terre). Fall of the Loup river. Upstream on the same river, there is also the Chaudières Falls and the Trembles Falls. (updated Nov 2021)
• 2 Église de Charette, 391, rue de l'Église (presbytère). Catholic church built of wood. (updated Nov 2021)

Buy

Food

• 1 Marché Richelieu Bournival & Villemure, 201, rue St-Jean-Baptiste Nord, ☏ +1 819-913-1555. (updated Nov 2021)
• 2 Boucherie Mobile Gaston Bellerive (Butcher Mobile Gaston Bellerive), 200, rue des Cèdres, ☏ +1 819-221-2852. (updated Nov 2021)
• 3 Boucherie Yvan Gélinas (Butcher Yvan Gélinas), 71, rue St-Joseph, ☏ +1 819-221-2076. (updated Nov 2021)
• 4 Miel Belle-de-Mai (Belle-de-Mai Honey), 340, Montée de la Belle-de-Mai, ☏ +1 819-221-2123. Honey products. (updated Nov 2021)

Other businesses

• 5 Pharmacie affiliée Proxim - Maude Lupien-Pilon (Proxim Affiliated Pharmacy - Maude Lupien-Pilon), 554, rue Notre-Dame, ☏ +1 819-221-5665. (updated Nov 2021)
• 6 Prendre Racine (Take Root), 561, rang le Petit Bellechasse Nord, ☏ +1 819-266-0578, alex.prendreracine@gmail.com. Edible forest products shop. A variety of Nordic nuts, forest herbal teas and boreal spices hand picked in Quebec. Consulting services in permaculture and in the development of useful and edible perennial landscapes. Production of variety of trees, shrubs, perennials, medicinal plants and climbing plants. (updated Nov 2021)
• 7 La ferme Floriâne (Floriâne farm), 280, 1e rang Nord, ☏ +1 819-221-3142, lafermefloriane@gmail.com. Health and beauty products. (updated Nov 2021)

Well-being

• 8 Massothérapie Lyne Champagne (Lyne Champagne massage therapy), 130, rue St-Joseph, ☏ +1 819-239-4565. Massage therapy services. (updated Nov 2021)

Eat

• 1 Restaurant Le Wagon, 480, rue Notre-Dame. Meals on site. Take-out orders. (updated Nov 2021)
• 2 Restaurant Le Villageois, 571, rue Notre-Dame, ☏ +1 819-489-3333. Other branches of Restaurants Groupe Villageois in: Saint-Narcisse, Charette, Saint-Tite (Ti-Poil) and Shawinigan (Pizzeria du Lac). Meals on site. Take-out orders. Online orders. (updated Nov 2021)

Go next

• 1 Saint-Étienne-des-Grès Municipality of Basse-Mauricie where the La Gabelle hydroelectric power station was erected. It has two villages: Saint-Étienne-des-Grès and Saint-Thomas-de-Caxton. Its offer of recreational and tourist activities is significant: vacationing, cycling (Route Verte), hiking trails, water sports on the Saint-Maurice River.
• 2 Saint-Boniface (Quebec) Municipality of the western suburbs of Shawinigan.
• 3 Saint-Élie-de-Caxton
• 4 Saint-Paulin The main economic activities of the locality are forestry, recreational tourism and agriculture. In its eastern part, the course of the Loup river constitutes the intermunicipal limit; and on the west side, the course of the Chacoura river.
• 5 Saint-Barnabé Locality mainly agricultural. Cycle tourism has developed well there. Several old, well-restored residences reflect local history.

Routes through Charette

Saint-Didace ←	W  E	→ Saint-Paulin → Louiseville
Saint-Édouard-de-Maskinongé ← Saint-Paulin ←	W  E	→ Saint-Boniface, Quebec