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Lachine Canal Historic Site Review

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Lachine Canal Historic Site

Fodor's Review:

If you want to work up an appetite for lunch—or just get some exercise—rent a bike on rue de la Commune and ride west along the 14-km (9-mi) Lachine Canal through what used to be Montréal's industrial heartland. You could stop at the Marché Atwater to buy some cheese, bread, wine, and maybe a little pâté for a picnic in the lakefront park at the end of the trail. If that sounds too energetic, hop aboard an excursion boat and dine more formally in one of the century-old homes that line the waterfront.

The Lachine Canal is all about leisure now, but it wasn't always so. It was built in 1825 to get boats and cargo around the treacherous Lachine Rapids, and quickly became a magnet for all sorts of industries. That lasted until 1959, when the St. Lawrence Seaway opened and large cargo ships were able to go straight from the Atlantic to the Great Lakes without stopping in Montréal. The Lachine Canal was subsequently closed to navigation and became an illicit dumping ground for old cars and the victims of underworld killings, while the area around it degenerated into an industrial slum.

The federal government rescued the place in 1988. Lawns and trees along the old canal were planted, and it was transformed into a long, thin park. The abandoned canneries, sugar refineries, and steelworks have since been converted into desirable residential and commercial condominiums. The bicycle path, which in winter hosts cross-country skiers, is the first link in the more than 97 km (60 mi) of bike trails that make up the Pôle des Rapides (514/364-4490. www.poledesrapides.com). A permanent exhibition at the Lachine Canal Interpretation Centre explains the history and construction of the canal. The center, on the western end of the canal, is open daily (except Monday morning) mid-May through August, 9:30-12:30 and 1-5.

  • Cost: Free
  • Open: Sunrise-sunset
  • Metro: Square-Victoria (at the eastern end)
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