1825

OPENING OF THE LACHINE CANAL

Since the beginning of European exploration of the St. Lawrence River, the Lachine Rapids have been a major obstacle preventing boats from reaching the Great Lakes. The rapids hinder the transport of merchandise and the development of settlements upstream.

After several postponements in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, work starts in 1821 on the Lachine Canal. It is completed in 1825. However, the Erie Canal, further south, is already in operation, and Montréal cannot rival New York.

Ocean ships from Québec could nonetheless go further upstream and — especially after the dredging of the St. Lawrence River in 1854 — stop in Montréal. Strong wood, iron, and wheat industries develop around the canal, and the metropolis benefits, becoming a predominant industrial centre in Canada.