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.