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| A Brief History |
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Home > Visitor Information > A Brief History
A Brief HistoryThe development of the territory of "la Pointe Claire" did not truly begin until 1698-1699. After 1706, deforestation along the riverbank was advanced enough that the opening of a road along the lake, from La Présentation to the tip of the island, was decreed. In addition to the concessions bordering the lake and served by "the King's Road" (chemin du Roy, now Lakeshore Road), the parish was subdivided in three côtes : St. Rémy (Boulevard-des-Sources), St. Jean and St. Charles (currently boulevards of the same names). The parish was first established in the name of St. Francis of Sales in 1713 and dedicated to St. Joachim the following year. Between côtes St. Rémy and St. Charles lay 33 lots (no.'s 145 to 177). These were generally three acres wide by 20 or 30 acres deep.
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Sœurs de la congrégation Notre-Dame and their students in 1888. |
In 1834, Monseigneur Signay decreed the canonical establishment of the parish. In 1845, Pointe-Claire became a civil entity; then, in 1854, a municipality. Agriculture was always the center of activity and the area changed little in appearance. Transformations gradually came about with the influx of English-speaking summer vacationers attracted by the area's natural features. This new social context and its activities marked the landscape and influenced the area's development until the Second World War. Real changes appeared with the coming of the Grand Trunk Railroad in 1855, which reduced the journey to Montreal to 45 minutes, as well as with the opening of the Canadian Pacific Line in 1887 and the initiation of telephone service in the 1890s. At the turn of the century, several hotels, which no longer exist, were built for vacationers, and a large number of private dwellings were rented. Seasonal cottages were also built which eventually became permanent residences.
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Canoe race on Lake St.Louis.
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In 1889, the area of the municipality was enlarged through the annexation of properties. On May 22, 1900, the heart of the village suffered a major fire that destroyed 23 houses along Church Street (St. Joachim Street), St. Anne Street and the current Lakeshore Road. The town was incorporated in 1911 and included the whole village, plus a fairly large section of the old parish, of which an additional part was annexed in 1958. With the construction of a highway alongside the railway in 1940, Pointe-Claire's role as a suburb was confirmed. The important part of its architectural and historical heritage is located to the south. An inventory taken in 1989 at the request of the urban planning division counted approximately 150 old buildings of interest.
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