Monk Park-8 (Montreal) by MagikUnicorn

Photography • Historical • posted on Jun 04, 2008

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Description

Special view of Lachine Canal One more to come tomorrow with this Monk Park series Vue spécial du fameux canal Lachine Une autre demain pour conclure la série Parc Monk Canal History In 1689, Dollier de Casson, first Superior of the Sulpiciens religious order, imagined a canal that would enable sailors to bypass the dangerous rapids. The actual Lachine Canal, however, only opened in 1825. Over 1500 men, most of them Irish, worked hard to facilitate westbound navigation. 8.5 miles long, it was widened twice, in 1843 and 1873. The first canal is now known as "the small Canal". The origins of the Lachine Canal date back to 1670, when François de Salignac Fénélon suggested digging a canal between Montréal and Lachine. In 1680, François Dollier de Casson, first Superior of the Sulpiciens, asserted that such a Canal would supply water to Montréal's mills while simultaneously facilitating westbound navigation. These men's dream, however, would have to wait until the beginning of the 19th century to become a reality. At a time when trade in wheat and wood gradually supplanted that of fur, the Lachine Canal became an urgent need for Montréalers merchants who wanted to make their city a main entranceway into the continent. From 1819 to 1821, following an initiative by John Richardson, a well known merchant and founder of the Bank of Montréal, seven of Montréal's most influential businessmen banded together to form the Company of the Proprietors of the Lachine Canal, with engineer Thomas Burnett trying to sell shares for the construction of the Canal. Unfortunately, the venture failed. The government took over the project and created a Commission presided by Richardson; several members of the Company of the Proprietors of the Lachine Canal were also included, and Thomas Burnett remained the project's chief engineer. Construction began in July 1821, and the Canal opened in August 1824. Five hundred workers, most of them Irish, dug the 13 kilometers of the Canal and built the 7 locks (only 5 remain today) between Montréal and the village of Lachine, an important fur trading post. The Canal, originally built for small, flat-bottomed boats, will be widened twice, once in 1843 and once in 1875, to accommodate steam ships and larger vessels. It is fair to say that modern-day Lachine owes its current location to the Canal. Until the middle of the 19th century, activities were focused east of the Canadian Pacific bridge, in what is now known as LaSalle. The construction of the Canal contributed to the relocation of the population on the shores of the Canal. After the first widening, the original Canal became known as the small canal. It was no longer going to be used, except for mooring row boats. After the second widening, the heart of the area began to beat to the rhythms of industrial production. Thanks to the Canal, Montréal's South-West became Canada's most important industrial concentration. On the eve of the economic crash, close to 15 000 ships sailed the Canal annually. Supplanted by the St. Lawrence waterway open in 1959, the Canal closed to shipping in 1970. From 1959 to 1973, Lachine experienced a period of transition. After 150 years of relying on the Canal for its livelihood, the municipality found strength in its heritage and its exceptional geographical location on the shores of Lake Saint-Louis. Today, a bicycle and pedestrian pathway stretches along the shores and the Canal has been reopened to sailing since 2002. Thanks Magik

Comments (45)

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skull-dudley

4:12PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

very nice.

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myquad

4:40PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

Great shot! The water is beautiful!

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flaviok

4:51PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

Uma cene deslumbrante meu amigo, magnifica captura, aplausos (5)

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jocko500

4:55PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

a wondeful waterway. cool shot

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jeroni

4:56PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

nice mood, great composition

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artaddict2

5:04PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

Picturesqye view, looks so calm and peaceful. great capture!

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delbeke

5:16PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

Great capture! The canal is wonderful.

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tcombs

5:45PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

Great scene.

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NekhbetSun

6:05PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

Thanks for the info and really pretty S H u g s

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photostar

6:08PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

Nice Spring time setting. We have old canals here which were once used for shipping coal by barges.

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MarciaGomes

6:24PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

MARAVILHOSA FOTO DESTA FANTÁSTICA SÉRIE.++++++++5 ESPETACULAR HISTÓRIA SOBRE O CANAL.

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doarte

8:32PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

The image is fantastic, the history/information amazing! +5 from doarte's MADHOUSE

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atsoram

8:58PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

I love the waterway, really, good job!

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1358

9:47PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

I can feel the wetness in the air... the coolness of the water.... vivid image!

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hipps13

10:27PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

beautiful capture, Magik and interesting information makes me want to jump in sweet smile to you warm hug, Linda

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LudyMelltSekher

11:10PM | Wed, 04 June 2008

Hello my dear friend Magic. Precious and brilliant photography, Impressive!! Congratulations!! All you artwork is Very Beautiful!! It is a real pleasure to visit your gallery. A million stars from me.**Thanks you very much for you comments.Hug and kiss in Your heart.Luminous Blessings.Ludy Sorry to have that to write the same thing in English to all, but are few the words that I have in English to say

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