Lachine Canal
 |
The Lachine Canal in 1920 |
The
Lachine Canal (
Canal de Lachine in
French) is a
canal passing through the southwestern part of the
Island of Montreal,
Quebec,
Canada, through the boroughs of
Lachine and
Le Sud-Ouest on land originally granted by the
King of France to the
Sulpician Order.
Beginning in 1689, attempts were made by the
French Colonial government and several other groups to build a canal that would allow ships to bypass the treacheous
Lachine Rapids. After more than 130 years of failure, a consortium that included the young
Scottish immigrant
John Redpath was successful.
John Richardson was Chairman of the Committee of Management of the canal project and its chief engineer was
Thomas Brunett. The contractors were
Thomas McKay and
John Redpath, plus the firms of
Thomas Phillips &
Andrew White and
Abner Bagg &
Oliver Wait. The new canal officially opened in 1825, helping turn Montreal into a major port and eventually attracting industry to its banks when the Society of
Sulpician Order decided to sell lots.
However, while the Lachine canal proved an enormous boon for Montreal and the province of Quebec, time would show that for Canada's
Maritime Provinces, it was the first major nail in that region's economic coffin.
 |
A bridge over the Lachine Canal, in sight of downtown Montreal |
The canal became obsolete in
1959, being replaced by the South Shore Canal of the
Saint Lawrence Seaway and was finally closed about 1969. In
2002, it was reopened as a pleasure boating area, despite environmental concerns due to heavy industrial contamination of its bottom, and the banks of the canal were redeveloped. An environmental reclamation project continues to clean up old oil spills.
The banks of the canal offer bicycling and roller blading. It is inscribed as a
National Historic Site, the
Lachine Canal National Historic Site;
The Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site is located near the western end of the canal.
From east to west:
*Rail bridge
*Bridge (Mill Road)
*Bridge (
Autoroute 10)
*Rail bridge
*
Wellington Bridge with the closed
Wellington Tunnel underneath
*
Des Seigneurs Bridge*
Charlevoix Bridge with the
Line 1 Green in a tunnel
*
Atwater Footbridge*
Atwater Tunnel*Rail bridge
*Pedestrian bridge
*
St. Rémi Tunnel*Bridge (
Autoroute 15/
Autoroute 20)
*
Côte St. Paul Bridge*
Monk Boulevard Bridge*Pedestrian bridge
*Bridge (Angrignon Boulevard)
*Pedestrian bridge
*
Gauron Bridge (two adjacent bridges carrying St. Pierre Boulevard)
*Bridge (
Highway 138)
*
Rockfield Bridge (rail)
*Bridge (Museum Way)
*
Montreal and Lachine Railway
