Chapeau is a village in the Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 province of Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

, located along the Culbute Channel of the Ottawa River

Ottawa River

The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...

 in the municipality of L'Isle-aux-Allumettes

L'Isle-aux-Allumettes, Quebec

L'Isle-aux-Allumettes is a municipality in the Outaouais region, part of the Pontiac Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. The municipality consists primarily of Allumette Island , and also includes Morrison Island, Marcotte Island, and some minor islets, all in the Ottawa River north of...

 in Pontiac Regional County Municipality

Pontiac Regional County Municipality, Quebec

Pontiac is a county regional municipality MRC Pontiac in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada. It should not be confused with the municipality of Pontiac, which is located inside the county regional municipality of Les Collines-de-l'Outaouais....

.

There is speculation as to the real origin of the name "Chapeau" (French for "hat

Hat

A hat is a head covering. It can be worn for protection against the elements, for ceremonial or religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status...

"). It has been hypothesized that geography of the village vaguely resembles the shape of a hat with three flat edges. Or the name may come from a rock in the Ottawa River in the form of a French military headgear

Beret

A beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt, or acrylic fiber....

. According to other sources, Chapeau recalls a bizarre hairdo of a Native American chief. It may also come from the French surnames Chappeau and Chapeau, common in the time of New France. However, none of these explanations may be regarded as final.

History

In 1874, the village of Chapeau separated from the Île-aux-Allumettes Township and became a municipality. On December 30, 1998, the municipality of Chapeau Village, together with the township municipalities of L'Isle-aux-Allumettes and L'Isle-aux-Allumettes-Part-East, were regrouped into the new Municipality of L'Isle-aux-Allumettes.

In 1883 the Chapeau hotel was built on Main Street by Agapit Maloney, which he owned and operated until 1918, when he died. Fred Meilleur bought the hotel in the 1940s, which became "Fred's Restaurant-Hotel".

On August 26, 2008, Fred's Restaurant-Hotel and an adjacent building were completely destroyed by an overnight fire. The restaurant-hotel was a local historic landmark, owned and operated by Fred Meilleur since the 1940s and was sold to a new owner, prior to the fire.

Fred Meilleur died in February 2009.