In the 17th century, the territory of this village was mostly frequented and occupied by the Oueskarinis [the Algonquian name given to the people of La Petite-Nation], Amerindians of the Algonquian tribe who came from La Grand Nation further north.  The inhabitants of La Petite-Nation mostly lived along the river of the same name and also along the Ottawa River. [French: Outaouais; Algonquin: Kichisìpi].
 

In 1674, the bishop of Québec, François de Montmorency-Laval, is granted a parcel of land by the Compagnie des Indes occidentales, 5 leagues [25 km] by 5 leagues, known as a 'Seigniory'.  Located along the Ottawa River, this land remained unoccupied for more than 130 years.   

In 1803, Joseph Papineau is given the Western portion of the land, [3 leagues by 5 leagues], as payment for services provided, from the “Séminaire du Québec”.  Two years later, he purchases the remainder of the land from the “Chapitre du Québec”. Around 1809, Joseph Papineau develops the Seigniory and creates a small settlement of 20 inhabitants who work in developing the forestry industry and the agricultural potential of the Seigniory.  Many of the families living in La Petite-Nation today are direct descendants of the original settlers. 

In 1817, the son, Louis-Joseph Papineau, President of the Assembly of the Thirteenth Legislature of Lower Canada, buys the land from his father and his brother, Denis Benjamin will manage it. Upon his return from exile in 1854, Papineau builds his manor on the Cap Bonsecours and has by then earned the right to be called “Seigneur de La Petite-Nation”.

In 1831, the first canonical parish of the Outaouais is erected on the land and current site of the Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours church. In later years, several of the villages of La Petite-Nation will become independent, including Fassett, Montebello, Papineauville, Plaisance, St-André-Avellin and Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix. The remainder of the Seigniory land will become the Municipality of Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours, where La Réserve de la Petite-Nation [Kenauk au Château Montebello] is located. 

In 1855, the Seigneur Papineau names the post office Monte-Bello. In 1878, the village is also named Monte-Bello. Papineau sometimes writes Montebello in one word, and sometimes in two words; either with or without an acute accent on the é. Today, Montebello is written in one word and without an acute accent on the e. 

The Manoir Papineau and the Family Funeral Chapel are located in Montebello and can be visited during the summer.  Both of these landmarks are the perennial witnesses of the grandeur of the Seigneur Papineau.

Welcome to Montebello, village of the Seigneur Papineau.

We wish you a pleasant stay in our village.