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History
The canal is situated on land originally granted by the King of France to the Sulpician Order. Beginning in 1689, attempts were made by the French Colonial government and several other groups to build a canal that would allow ships to bypass the treacherous Lachine Rapids. After more than 130 years of failure, a consortium that included the young Scottish immigrant John Redpath was successful. John Richardson was Chairman of the Committee of Management of the canal project and its chief engineer was Thomas Brunett. The contractors were Thomas McKay and John Redpath, plus the firms of Thomas Phillips & Andrew White and Abner Bagg & Oliver Wait. [1] The new canal officially opened in 1825, helping turn Montreal into a major port and eventually attracting industry to its banks when the Society of Sulpician Order decided to sell lots. It was enlarged and improved in the early 1840s under the supervision of Alfred Barrett.
However, while the Lachine canal proved an enormous boon for Montreal and the province of Quebec, time would show that for Canada's Maritime Provinces, it was the first major nail in that region's economic coffin.
The canal became obsolete in the second half of the 20th century, being replaced by the St. Lawrence Seaway, which opened in 1959. The canal was finally closed to shipping in 1970. The opening of the Seaway and the decline of shipping on the canal led to the devastation of the neighbourhoods that lined the canal in Montreal's Sud-ouest borough due to shifting patterns of industrial development and shipping.
National Historic Site
The canal has been designated as a National Historic Site, officially named the Lachine Canal National Historic Site. The Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site is located near the western end of the canal.
Development
Over the last two decades, the canal has seen a large increase in residential and commercial development. In what was originally a very heavy industrial neighbourhood, Point St. Charles and St. Henri have become very up and coming districts. House values have sky rocketed and many real estate developers have turned the century old industrial factories and wearhouses, like that of Dominion Textiles (5524 St-Patrick Street, now Complexe Dompark) & Siemons Matresses (4710 St-Ambroise Street, now Complexe Canal Lachine) into prestigious loft buildings. Montreal real estate developer Adam Cutler co-owned more than 1,000,000 sq/ft of Canal front property from the early 90s until 2003. Complexe Dompark recently celebrated its 100th anniversary and now houses more than 90 multimedia, fashion, publishing, and service industry-based companies in custom designed lofts. The area around the Atwater Market has become one of Montreal's most desirable residential areas for condo owners. Much of this is thanks to the continued effort to clean up the Canal.
Recreation
In 2002, it was reopened as a pleasure boating area, despite environmental concerns due to heavy industrial contamination of its bottom, and the banks of the canal were redeveloped. An environmental reclamation project continues to clean up old oil spills. The banks of the canal offer bicycling and roller blading. Parks Canada offers guided tours of the canal by foot, bicycle, and boat during the summer months.
Crossings
From east to west:
- Rail bridge
- Bridge (Mill Road)
- Bridge (Autoroute 10)
- Rail bridge
- Wellington Bridge with the closed Wellington Tunnel underneath
- Des Seigneurs Bridge
- Charlevoix Bridge with the Metro Line 1 (Green) in a tunnel
- Atwater Footbridge
- Atwater Tunnel
- Rail bridge
- Pedestrian bridge
- St. Rémi Tunnel
- Bridge (Autoroute 15/Autoroute 20)
- Côte St. Paul Bridge
- Monk Boulevard Bridge
- Pedestrian bridge
- Bridge (Angrignon Boulevard)
- Pedestrian bridge
- Lafleur Bridge and Gauron Bridge (two adjacent bridges carrying St. Pierre Boulevard)
- Bridge (Route 138)
- Rockfield Bridge (rail)
- Bridge (Museum Way)
See also
References
- ^ (2005-05-09). ASSIGNMENT # 4: LACHINE CANAL TO SAINT-HENRI, Urban Revitalization in Montreal: Field Trip Manual (PDF). Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
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