Rapids of Lachine

The fast of Lachine are a series of rapids along the river the St. Lawrence, with the Quebec, between the island of Montreal the southern and bank. They are close to the old town of Lachine (from now on integrated into the municipality of Montreal). They count a certain number of islands and small islands used by migratory birds.

History

Samuel de Champlain lengthily evokes them in its writings, in particular because one of his/her companions named Louis drowned there. Champlain named these rapids Sault Saint-Louis, Sault , as former French, indicates rapids. In 1611, it publishes in its literary work the voyages of Sieur de Champlain a plan entitled Île of Montreal and river the St. Lawrence , which was reproduced in 1930 by the painter Paul-Emile Borduas: this plan is now visible with the Large Country cottage of the Royal Mont.

These rapids represented in the first times of colonization an enormous barrier with the river traffic, those having to be crossed by bearing until the construction of the Canal of Lachine at the 19th century. Even after its startup, it proved quite as practical to transport the goods by Rail to Montreal, from where they were then dispatched via its seaport. For this reason Montreal a long time sheltered the rail junction and the port area most important of the country.

Nowadays

The rapids from now on are circumvented in the south by the Sea route of the St. Lawrence, more adapted to large tonnages. Rapids also used for the Rafting and forwardings in Jet-ski.

See too

Channel Lachine

Random links: