Heritage of the Quays of the Old Port of Montréal

The port as we know it today is the result of major development work done in the early 20th century. The years 1896 to 1930 were the Port of Montréal’s golden years, a time when it was the destination of trans-Atlantic ships and trains from all over North America. Millions of tonnes of merchandise travelled through Montréal, and to meet demand, the port modernized its facilities by building structures such as grain elevators, sheds and higher quays.

Relics of this heyday are still visible, like giants from another era. If you listen, they will tell you the fascinating history of the Port of Montréal.

Locks 1 and 2

Workers open the lock gates to allow the steamship Turret Crown into the Lachine Canal, 1895.
Musée McCord / II-111872

The Lachine Canal was much more than a shipping channel, it was the industrial engine of the city and the entire country. The canal’s first two locks are located in the Old Port of Montréal.

The Lachine Canal opened to commercial shipping in 1825, making it the first navigable waterway for shipping goods between the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes. The canal’s locks allowed vessels to navigate a difference in elevation of 14.3 metres over a distance of 13.5 kilometres.

Starting in 1847, lands adjoining the locks were leased to companies that made use of the hydraulic power generated by the locks, making the canal one of the cornerstones of the industrial revolution in Montréal and Canada.

The canal’s busiest year was 1870, with 13,572 vessels passing through, of which a quarter were steam-powered and the other three-quarters sailing ships. At the time, the lock gates were opened and closed with hand-cranked winches operated by the lock keepers. They must have had strong arms!

In 1929, the Lachine Canal was declared a National Historic Site. However, it became obsolete after the opening of the St. Lawrence seaway, and it was closed to shipping in 1970. Major restoration work was done for the reopening of the canal in 2002. Locks 1 and 2 are now used by pleasure boats travelling between the Old Port and Lac Saint-Louis.