The territory was formed in January 1981, and was then known as "Lac-Saint-Jean-Ouest, partie Chute-des-Passes". This was shortened to Chute-des-Passes in August 1986. On May 23, 2009, the territory was renamed to Passes-Dangereuses in order to avoid confusion with the hamlet of Chute-des-Passes in the neighbouring Unorganized Territory of Mont-Valin.[5]
The territory's name Passes-Dangereuses (French for "dangerous pass") refers to a series of rapids and chutes that stir up the Peribonka River for a distance of about 15 km (9.3 mi) from Lake Peribonka's outlet downstream. This section of the river flows through impressive escarpments of over 100 m (330 ft) high and was first identified as "the nasty portage" by Jesuit Pierre-Michel Laure on his map of 1731. The following year, this missionary used the First Nations name Katchiskataouakigs, also used by Bellin on his map of 1744. A map of Jonathan Carver from 1776 indicated "Falls and Rift" to characterize the place. Not until the end of the 19th century did the current toponym begin to appear on survey maps. In 1941, Alcan built at the head of these rapids a dam called Chute-des-Passes, forming Lake Peribonka behind it. The dam's name also refers to the nearby hamlet that formed the east side of the river, and was the former name of Passes-Dangereuses Territory.[1][6]
^ abMinistère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire - Répertoire des municipalités: Passes-DangereusesArchived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
