SEARCHING FOR THE CREATURE IN MONTRÉAL’S HISTORY
We know that the archivist Conrad Archambault, who worked at the City of Montréal from 1914 to 1954, was particularly interested in paranormal and supernatural phenomena until his death in the early 1980s.
In consulting his archive, we noticed that the one we affectionally call Conrad was researching unexplained phenomena. Although he did not prepare a report, he left us some information in the form of notes and images.
Here are some of the details that point to the possibility that an unknown entity could have been responsible for some of the city’s catastrophic events:
• On September 16, 1732, an Earthquake Sowed Terror in Montréal. Sister Duplessis de Sainte-Hélène left us this account: “An earthquake caused inexpressible consternation. The first jolt damaged over 300 houses, many chimneys fell down, walls were cracked and people were injured; showers of stone fell everywhere, as if thrown down by invisible hands; and finally there was such widespread terror that the houses were deserted, people slept in their yards, and the animals howled, barked and squealed, heightening the fears of the residents.”
• In April 1886, Montréal experienced a catastrophic spring flood, the likes of which had never been seen before. Pointe-Saint-Charles, Griffintown, and the old city were submerged in water.
• In 1887, in addition to the dike, the Riverside and Craig Pumping Stations, located at the end of the existing system, were built to pump surplus water into the river. The floods ceased.
Conrad Archambault took a special interest in the Craig Pumping Station during his career as a city archivist... Could it be possible that this building was built not to pump water but to contain the Trouble-Fête?