St-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! (?)

[Phouchg]

Saw this on a map of Quebec - appears to be a very small town. How on earth did it get this name?

Phouchg
Lovable Rogue

[brianmelendez]

From last month: St. Louis de-HA!HA!

[DreadCthulhu]

Well, my WAG is the St. Louis is from the French influence in the area, and the -du-Ha! Ha! is from some Indian tribe influence.

[jovan]

Qadgop the Mercotan provided the answer in the linked thread, however, it’s in French with no translation.

So with no further ado:

The pioneers of this village, founded in 1873, are said to have shouted a few “ah! ah!” of admiration upon discovering, from the top of a hill, the lake Temiscouta. But why the transformation of “ah! ah!” in “ha! ha!”? This is probably a transcription error sanctioned by usage. I should also be noted that the old word “ha! ha!” (in the native Hescuewaska language) signifies something unexptected.

(Note: “ah!” is the proper spelling in French for this exclamation, “ha!” is a mistake.)

I have found other references to this double etymology, in both cases the surprise is at the sight of the lake.