Transport Archives | The rivers of Prairies and Mille Iles: regional development

Where the Rivers Meet

“Laval is as much about the water that surrounds it as the land within its boundaries”. That is how our beautiful island is described by the city in […]

Row, Row, Row your Boat!

In 1998, the Parc de la Rivière-des-Mille-Îles was recognized as a museum by the provincial Ministry of Culture, Communications and Status of Women. This recognition followed the creation […]

A Cruise Close to Home

There were many business opportunities on our rivers. Some promoters even had the original idea of offering guided tours of the Des Prairies River. This photograph features a […]

An Outing on the River

Boat-building technology developed extensively in the 20th century. Pleasure boaters no longer had to row to enjoy the water—they just had to start their outboard motors! With this […]

Captains, to Your Boats!

The golden age of luxury mahogany boats was between 1945 and 1960. Sixteen boat parades were organized by the Club nautique des Mille-Îles. They always ended with a […]

Plage-Laval, from Beach to Municipality in Four Years!

The western part of the parish of Sainte-Rose was mostly farmland until the 1920s. Real estate development in the region began in the early 20th century with resort […]

Hello, North!

In the late 1950s, a huge road construction project got under way. Quebec’s first highway connected the heart of the Laurentians, Sainte-Agathe, with downtown Montreal. The artery cut […]

Now, That’s What You Call Solid!

In 1849, the Bellefeuille family gave residents of Île Jésus and Saint-Eustache a new option to get from one shore to the other. Instead of the old ferry, […]

Slowly, Please!

After the Porteous Bridge was destroyed, a new wooden bridge was built in 1854. The Plessis-Bélair Bridge was named in honour of the family that came to own […]

An Old Technology That Lasted

With our modern views of transportation, it is hard to imagine that crossing a river could cost money. Until the second half of the 20th century, bridges and […]

A Dam Changes Everything!

Today, most of the people who live in Laval-des-Rapides don’t think the name of their district was very well chosen. But before the dam was built, the rapids […]

Raftsmen on the River

More information about raftsmen can be found in popular histories than official documents. That’s not surprising, since their occupation existed before photography was even invented! This watercolour was […]