Lachute () is a town in southwest Quebec, Canada, northwest of Montreal, on the Rivière du Nord, a tributary of the Ottawa River, and west of Mirabel International Airport. It is located on Autoroute 50, at the junctions of Quebec Provincial Highways Route 148, Route 158, and Secondary Highways 327 and 329. Lachute is the seat of Argenteuil Regional County Municipality, and is served by the Lachute Airport. Its major industries include paper mills and lumber. The population is about 14,000 people. History Originally in the 17th century, "La Chute" identified a cataract or falls on the North River (Rivière du Nord) located about upstream from its confluence with the Ottawa River. In 1753, Antoine Brunet became the first francophone to settle in Lachute temporarily. In 1796, Jedediah Lane, from Jericho, Vermont, bought several thousand acres of land on both sides of the North River, where Lachute is today. That same year, Hezekiah Clark and his family, also of Jericho, settled near the falls on the North River, followed by Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution. Two years later, the population of the Chute settlement (as it was then known by its English name) consisted of five families. The village grew quickly; by 1803, 30 families were scattered on both banks of the North River and by 1810, Lachute counted 83 families, including 211 children of school age. In 1804, a mill was built at the falls and the first general store opened in 1813. One year later, Sir John Johnson bought a large part of the Argenteuil Seigneury. He built a sawmill and gave land for the construction of churches, helping to attract new settlers to Argenteuil. In 1825, Thomas Barron became the first judge, then the first mayor of Lachute. The Lachute post office was established in 1835. From 1870 to 1880, Lachute went through another period of expansion, including economic and social development; the railway linking Montreal and Ottawa was built through the centre of the small town. Industries were established: Félix Hamelin and Thomas Henry Ayers established a wool mill and Irishman James Crocket Wilson opened a paper mill. In 1885, the Town of Lachute was incorporated with a population around 1300 persons, and in the same year, Lachute high school was founded. In 1901, electricity was brought to the town. In 1966, Lachute and the Village of Ayersville merged, forming the Cité de Lachute. In 1971,