Significant Events

The English-born entrepreneur John Molson immigrated to Montreal in 1782, at age 18. Upon his arrival, he immediately went into business and took over management of a brewery in 1786. In 1809, he entered into a partnership with engineer John Jackson and shipbuilder John Bruce to build a steamboat that would carry passengers between Montreal and Quebec City. At the time, this ship was a true marvel of engineering.

The Accommodation was the first Canadian steamboat. Its steam engine was connected to two enormous paddlewheels. The various components of the boat were built by artisans in Montreal and Trois-Rivières. In late January 1809, John Molson travelled to Trois-Rivières by sleigh to check on the progress of the engine pieces being built at the Forges du Saint-Maurice. The vessel was completed in early August.

The Accommodation was launched on August 19, 1809, and its maiden voyage took place that fall. On November 1, 1809, it left Montreal at 2:00 p.m. with seven crew members on board. The boat could carry around 20 passengers. On Saturday, November 4, it arrived at Quebec City at 8:00 a.m., 66 hours after its departure. It had, however, spent 30 hours at anchor in the shallows of Lake Saint-Pierre, half-way through the voyage. The return trip to Montreal took seven days. The boat made this voyage twice more in the fall of 1809. In 1810, the Accommodation made 12 voyages in four months. The route between Montreal and Quebec required two stops to take on fuel wood. John Molson later split with his two partners and became sole owner of the boat. He returned to England in fall 1810 to order an engine for his next steamboat, the Swiftsure. Construction on this new boat began in August 1811 at the Hart Logan shipyard in Montreal, and it was launched on August 20, 1812. The Malsham followed in September 1814, then the Lady Sherbrooke in 1816 and the New Swiftsure in 1817.

Around 1845, steamboat travel on the St. Lawrence became very popular. This was largely due to two vessels, the Montreal and the Quebec, built by John Molson's son. These steamboats could make the trip between Montreal and Quebec City in just 12 hours. From around 1872, sailing ships became an increasingly rare sight on the river.

In the late 19th century, many vacationers travelled on the steamer Canada. This luxurious ship was built in 1866 in the Sorel shipyard and belonged to the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Company. It appealed to vacationers who wanted to relax in nature, far from the big city. Murray Bay, today La Malbaie, was among the most popular destinations. Steamers would call at a number of villages. The first wharf in the Charlevoix region was built in Pointe-au-Pic, and the second in Cap-à-l'Aigle.

In 1886, the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Company owned most of the steamers sailing between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic. The locals nicknamed these ships the "white boats."

In 1845, a group of 35 businessmen, mostly from the Richelieu Valley, founded the Richelieu Navigation Company. At first, the company mainly carried timber up the Richelieu River to the United States. It also provided towing services and transported cargo and passengers. Competing navigation companies sprang up, and the Richelieu Navigation Company merged with the St. Lawrence Navigation Company in 1847. The new company, known as the Richelieu Company, was directed by Jacques-Félix Sincennes. In the early 1850s, under pressure to remain competitive with other navigation companies and the swiftly growing rail system, the company stopped serving the Richelieu River and focused on the St. Lawrence. In 1856, it merged with three other companies to become the Montreal and Three Rivers Navigation Company, then changed its name back to the Richelieu Company in 1857. In 1875, it was renamed the Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company. At this time, it owned a fleet of 18 steamers. In 1913, the name changed again to Canada Steamship Lines.

The ocean liner Laurentic was a British steamship operated by the White Star Line beginning on April 29, 1909. It sailed the Liverpool-Montreal route for five years. During World War I, it was commissioned as a troop transport. On January 25, 1917, it struck two mines off northern Ireland and sank within an hour.

This wealthy shipping magnate and financier was born in Scotland and settled in Montreal in 1826. He built his fortune mainly in maritime and rail shipping. His steamers carried cargo and passengers between the United Kingdom and the ports of Montreal, Quebec City and the Maritimes. In the 1860s and 1870s, he was considered the richest man in Canada. His fortune amounted to between $6 million and $10 million.

Sir Hugh Allan could see the ships in his fleet moored at the Port of Montreal from his home. Between 1868 and 1891, his maritime transport company, known as the Allan Line, owned 37 ships. It had exclusive rights to carry passengers, many of whom were immigrants, and transport trans-Atlantic mail. Sir Hugh Allan regularly made technical improvements to his fleet. The Allan Line operated the first steel-hulled trans-Atlantic steamer and the first two turbine-equipped ocean liners. During the winter, since the Port of Montreal was inaccessible, the company's ships out of Liverpool headed to Portland in the United States.

The ocean liners, named in French "paquebots", that brought passengers across the Atlantic were known as "packet boats" because they also carried packets of mail.

The steamer Berthier (1866-1914) caught fire and sank near Montreal on May 24, 1914. It was built in Sorel at the McCarthy shipyard in 1866 and operated by the Richelieu Company.

This song was composed in honour of the 1,012 passengers and crew members who sank with the ocean liner Empress of Ireland on May 29, 1914.

This railway company also had interests in the maritime sector. After crossing the Atlantic on an ocean liner, passengers could travel further west by rail. The company's fleet included very large ships like the Empress ocean liners, which had to stop at the Port of Quebec, as well as smaller ships that could continue to the Port of Montreal. This transport company reached its peak around 1929.

Until the Quebec Bridge was built, people had to take a ferry to cross the river. The bridge provided a road and rail link, boosting the development of the city of Quebec. Its construction was marked by tragedy on August 29, 1907. At 5:37 p.m., the south arm of the bridge collapsed, killing 76 men. Another terrible accident occurred on September 11, 1916. While the central span was being raised, it buckled and fell into the river, causing the deaths of 13 people and injuring 14 more. In 1917, a new central span was successfully raised and the bridge became operational.

It was not until December 12, 1859, that it became possible to cross the St. Lawrence from Montreal by train using the Victoria Bridge. This helped position Montreal as a Canadian commercial hub. In the early 1920s, cars began growing more common; there were thousands of them in Montreal. As a result, there was increasing pressure to build a road bridge connecting the city to the south shore.

The bridge was inaugurated on May 24, 1930. It was originally named the Montreal Harbour Bridge, then renamed the Jacques Cartier Bridge on September 1, 1934 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the famous explorer's discovery of Canada.

The luxurious white boats that carried thousands of tourists along the St. Lawrence between Montreal and Tadoussac from the 1920s to the mid-1960s marked the collective memory of many communities along the river.

These ships belonged to the company Canada Steamship Lines. The oldest of the four was built in Delaware in 1912 and was originally named the Narragansett. It was renamed the Richelieu in 1923.

These steamships were known for their large, elegantly decorated rooms, which helped ensure passengers travelled in style.

The St. Lawrence was built in the Lauzon shipyard in 1927.

The following year, the Quebec was built in the same shipyard. This magnificent ship met a tragic end on August 14, 1950, when it was completely destroyed by fire at the Tadoussac wharf. Seven lives were lost. The fire broke out while the ship was at sea, but captain Cyril Burch was able to bring it back to the wharf, saving many lives.

The Tadoussac was built in the Lauzon shipyard in 1928.

Outside the navigation season, the white boats berthed for the winter on the Richelieu River, where they would be fixed up for the next summer season. The Richelieu, the Tadoussac and the St. Lawrence berthed on the right bank of the Richelieu, while the Quebec was on the left. The Richelieu was the first to start its navigation season, so it was berthed closest to the river mouth. Next was the Tadoussac, then the St. Lawrence.