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Montréal's Spectacular Mountain

© Norman P. Goldman

From just about anywhere in Montréal you can view one of the city's most famous landmarks, "Parc Mont Royal" or as the locals call it "la Montagne- the Mountain."

In 1535 the famous French explorer, Jacques Cartier, made his way to the top of the mountain following the lead of the Iroquois inhabitants According to Cartier, he trekked about 5 kilometers until he reached the summit and it is said that at the summit he named the mountain "le Mont Royal."

Paul Chomedy de Maisonneuve founded Montréal in 1642 and it was then known as "Ville Marie." In 1642 the meeting of the St Lawrence and St Peter rivers brutally rose and threatened the settlement of Ville Marie.

Maisonneuve promised that if the waters receded, he would erect a cross on Mont Réal. On Christmas Day the waters did recede and true to his word, Maisonneuve erected a heavy wooden cross in January 1643.

Today an electrified cross exists at the top of the mountain and its nightly spectacular glowing lights can be seen from most anywhere in the City.

The design of the Mountain began in 1872 when the well known architect, Frederick Law Olmsted was commissioned to design a park on the mountain.

It was this same architect who designed New York's famous Central Park as well as Riverside Drive.

Olmsted adhered to the principal that nature was a source of spiritual food and if you wanted to wisely design a park you would have to provide the city dwellers a place to escape from the tedious and stressful routines of urban life. After 2 years Mont Royal was inaugurated.

Over the many years, since the implementation of Olmsted's plan, Montrealers have been fortunate in being able to relax in a park which is so close to home yet far enough away from the stresses of life. Many Montrealers can remember the picnics they enjoyed on "the Mountain", particularly if this was during their vacation time when they could not afford to go anywhere else.

Immigrants from the late 1800's up until today can also thank Mr.Olmsted for providing them with the enjoyment of one of the great parks of the world.

Anyone visiting Montréal must explore "le Montagne."

The easiest way to reach "le Montagne" is by the number 11 bus. From the Mont-Royal metro station, take number 11 bus and you will arrive at the top of the mountain near the look out. Another possible route would be to take the number 80-bus going north from the Place-des-Arts metro

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