The Historic Village of Lachine and the Lachine Canal
Before industrialization the city of Lachine was primarily considered a country resort area for Montreal's affluent. You might say that it offered the comforts of a lake, sea or river as well as being an unspoiled quaint village. Its location on Lac St. Louis was one of its pivotal attractions as it was able to offer its visitors beautiful views as well as swimming and fishing. This was not to last and after the British conquest of Quebec in 1760 many businesses began to grow in and around Lachine.
The first of these industries was a brewery called the Dawes Brewery named after its founder Thomas A. Dawes and which was located along the shores of Lac St. Louis. However the most important influence on the city was the construction of the Lachine Canal which was inaugurated in 1824 and open to navigation in 1825.
It is to be noted that when the canal was first built it had offered excellent facilities for shipping as it was able to bypass the rapids. It also guaranteed control over the trade of the Great Lakes as it directed the commercial traffic towards Montreal and the St. Laurence River. The canal also provided a network that was able to link Montreal to the Atlantic Ocean and to the heart of the continent. As a result of this network Montreal was able to become Canada's manufacturing capital. Twice after its initial opening the canal had been enlarged which contributed to a very great extent to the development of Montreal as a major North American port.
Today the Lachine Canal is considered a National Historic Site as well as a National Park. The path and park which border the canal are open daily from sunrise to midnight and the upkeep of the park is maintained from April 15th to October 31st. There is no charge to enjoy the Park. Furthermore the Monk Pavilion Interpretation Centre presents from the 22nd of May to the 4th of September an exhibition of the Canal's history. The Monk Pavilion is located in the City of Lachine on St Joseph Boulevard at the corner of 7th Avenue.
You may also wish to visit the Musée de la Ville de Lachine where you will find all kinds of interesting topices on display.
For those of you who are archeological enthusiasts there has been a team of archeologists since August of this year exploring and digging in the area.
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