L'Islet Dutch Oven

N

Nancy G.

New member
Hi!

This is my first post. My dear MIL got me a smallish dutch oven last year at either a yard sale or an auction, I'm not sure which.

L'Islet is stamped on the bottom of it. I searched on the internet and found that the company was in Quebec and closed in 1878. I couldn't find anything more recent about the company.

Maybe this sounds kind of stupid, but do you think that means that this dutch oven is really that old? The handle is still on and it has it's original lid.

I'm pretty excited about this :) It's currently cooking a lovely bit of pot roast.

Thanks for any info!
 
L'islet closed for a bit and were reopened again in the early 1900's. They kept making cast iron stoves and cookware into the 1950's and beyond, i'd have to dig into my tickle trunk for more info. Your dutch could very well be old tho.

Would love to see some detailed pics of it. I'm working on documenting old canadian cast.
 
Thanks Rob. That's a bit disappointing though. I wonder why I couldn't find anything more recent on the internet...

I'll do my best to take pics of it, but I only have my phone for photos, so not sure how great they'll be.
 
Hi again Rob,
Here are a few pictures of the Dutch Oven, more to follow
 

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And the other 2.

I've added a picture of a cute little pot I got at a yard sale for $2. Do you know what it would be used for? I made a warm artichoke dip in it and when I was scooping out the leftovers I realized (after a quick google search) that you shouldn't cook artichoke in cast iron. LOL Luckily none of the guests noticed.

Thanks!

Nancy
 

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Hi, Nancy. Those are 2 very pretty pots! I take it you and Rob are both posting from Canada--the iron you guys have shown is very nice. I love it that this site is international in nature. Now I wonder if I can talk my hubby into going to Ontario to hunt cast iron. In my family, fish were the attraction. My Pop has been gone for 45 years now, but I can still hear his voice telling me what he would've thought of such an enterprise. (He would not have been amused--it's bad enough my mom and I collected rocks!) Happy hunting pot hunting and cooking from Sharon in Indiana.
 
Thanks Sharon!

Yes, I'm in Ontario, not sure about Rob. I've found some very cool things at yard sales here in Toronto. My most recent was 2 fajita pans for $1 each. They were a mess, rusty and dirty. Now we have fajitas every week!

That's funny about your dad. Like your mother and you, I'm a bit of a rock collector too. Maybe the 2 go hand in hand somehow.

I hope you are able to talk your husband into a trip up here. Happy hunting and cooking to you too!
 
Based on what I know, I expect that your DO is a 20th century piece. If it was a mid 19th century, I would expect it to be gate marked. Still, it's a nice looking piece...nothing to be disappointed about.

That being said, these are just my guesses. I don't know anything about L'Islet, just basing my thoughts on the time periods.
 
Thanks Doug.

I'm still pretty new to this, so will look up what gate marked means.

I'm not really disappointed, it's just that my MIL was so thrilled to have found me such a special old piece. She's always on the hunt for me. :grin:

I do use it a lot, it's quite small, so perfect for a pot roast for my husband and I. I think it also has French Onion Soup in it's near future.
 
Wow! Really? I never would have guessed that. The woman who sold it to me said she used it to toast sesame seeds.

It was so perfect for the artichoke dip until I saw the blackish grey - food should never be that colour...

@ Doug - I looked up gate mark and I see what you mean. Definitely nothing like that on my DO
 
Good idea! I'll stop off at Canadian Tire tomorrow, although I doubt that it was ever actually used for that. It looks pretty new (it's a Lodge) and I got the impression that the woman who sold it bought it new
 
L'islet was closed in 1878 by the McDougall heirs, it was reopened by different owners for a time unsuccessfully, then closed again. They reopened in 1916 (IIRC) and thrived. I suspect your dutch would be from the 3rd owners but I could be wrong, would need books to prove and I can't find any.

Gate marking Canadian iron isn't a science. As you can see, this scotch bowl made by Chown and Cunningham isn't gatemarked - Chown was bought by James Smart in 1893. There are others.

http://gallery.castironcanada.com/displayimage.php?album=12&pid=61#top_display_media

Transitional skillet from Chown and Cunningham, marked with the diamond G. Puts it around the mid 1890's. No gatemark on bottom or side, looks like it was actually lip poured.

Many of the old wood stoves weren't marked either. So yeah, it's fun trying to date and ID.

Defintely a lovely dutch oven, I've seen alot of Canadian iron, can't say i've seen oval bail attachments.
 
Thanks very much Rob. Interesting information about L'Islet. I will continue to use and cherish my Dutch Oven.

Gosh, cast iron is fun! I have a full set of stainless steel Chaudier by Paderno pots and pans and I rarely use them anymore - cast iron all the way!
 
Nancy G. said:
Thanks very much Rob. Interesting information about L'Islet. I will continue to use and cherish my Dutch Oven.

Gosh, cast iron is fun! I have a full set of stainless steel Chaudier by Paderno pots and pans and I rarely use them anymore - cast iron all the way!
Click to expand...

I'm in central Alberta btw. Pretty slim pickins around these parts for Canadian cast. I'm going to take a copy of your pics for my gallery if you don't mind.
 
Yes, absolutely, copy away. Was that your gallery you posted earlier?

There seems to be a lot of unwanted cast iron on Ontario. You many just have to move here!
 
I could cry when I see all the cast that was up for grabs in the east. Some Gurney, Windsor and Amherst have popped up. Been searching kijiji across Canada, will ask for more detailed pics and most are great with it. There are some stoves I managed to identify, and traded manufacturers marks for catalogs.
 
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