Exploration

Back to IntroInteractive Map
1

Everyone to Parliament!

2

The Present-Day Place D'Youville

3

Place Royale

4

Place d’Armes

5

Notre-Dame Street

6

Champ-de-Mars

Interactive VersionPedagogic ResourcesAboutContact usSite MapFrançais

You are about to access the interactive version of the site.

This version is designed to provide a more immersive experience, presenting all content in a dynamic and interactive way.

Would you like to proceed to the interactive version?

Yes, interactive version
Back
fr

An Economic Engine: Import–Export!

Detail from a lithograph of a panoramic view of the city of Montréal, showing in the middle distance buildings such as Notre-Dame Church, Bonsecours Market and the Customs House, along with other commercial, private and religious structures. In the foreground, a harbour with several boats moored. Barges and a boat in motion can be seen on the water.

James Duncan (detail), William Barnard lithograph, 1847, Pointe-à-Callière, 2019.28.

Located where the Lachine Rapids block upriver travel on the St. Lawrence, Montréal became a mandatory stop for ships. The opening of the Lachine Canal made it possible to bypass the rapids and increase the transshipment of goods to the port’s warehouses. In the 1840s, widening the canal further boosted the volume of products in transit from Upper Canada (today’s province of Ontario): potash, flour, grain, pork, beef and lumber.

Taking on the Look of a Capital

A lithograph showing a panoramic view of the city of Montréal, with buildings in the middle distance such as Notre-Dame Church, Bonsecours Market and the Customs House, along with other commercial, private, and religious structures. In the foreground, a harbour with several boats moored. Barges and a boat in motion can be seen on the water.

James Duncan, William Barnard lithograph, 1847, Pointe-à-Callière, 2019.28.

In the 19th century, Montréal took on a new look: its port grew busier and more attractive. In 1847, a new building rose to prominence on the skyline—the Bonsecours Market. Situated at the eastern end of the town, this landmark embodied the ambitions of a capital determined to rival the great Western cities. Even today, its silvery dome towers over Old Montréal.