(1911 - 1989)
After retiring as a construction foreman at the age of 63, Cleophas Lachance built a huge outdoor environment in his backyard in Lafontaine, Quebec that he called "Le Village Historique du Nord". The very large and complex village with over 100 wooden buildings included homes, churches, a carnival, a cheese factory, a farm and even a brothel. He included light posts, roads, grass and even garbage cans. Small motors were used to animate the carousel and saw blade at the sawmill. He used salvaged wood and metal to build the miniature buildings that ranged from 12" to 36" high. He incorporated pictures from magazines to decorate the homes and businesses. Cleophas carved over 300 people to populate the village. He would use a mixture of glue and sawdust to create the texture of fabric. He used markers to make jewelry. Each carving is unique. Because the village was so large he could only store a limited number of pieces inside. The rest he covered during the winter months, so many of his carvings are naturally aged which adds to their charm.
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