Île de la Visitation
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (January 2013) |
Île de la Visitation is a small island in the Rivière des Prairies, part of the Hochelaga Archipelago, and part of the city of Montreal in Quebec, Canada.
Located within the boroughs of Ahuntsic-Cartierville and Montréal-Nord, the island is the site of the L'Île-de-la-Visitation Nature Park, as well as the remaining buildings of the historic Sault-au-Récollet district.
The island also includes the former hydraulic installations, l'île du Cheval-de-Terre, which is connected to Laval by the Rivière des Prairies generating station, as well as a wooded area left intact along the Rivière des Prairies.
History
[edit]Known as Branchereau Island until 1750, Île de la Visitation borrows its name from the parish of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin-Mary which was founded in 1736. In order to control the force of the current, the Sulpician landlords connected the island to the shore by a causeway. Between 1724 and 1726, Simon Sicar, engineer, built the dam and a sawmill near the island. He built a stone mill to grind corn, another for carding wool.
In 1785, the island was surveyed and subdivided.[1]
Mills
[edit]Over time, the mills have had several owners.
- 1726-1837: Séminaire de Montréal
- 1837-1867: Pascal Persillier-Lachapelle & Succession
- 1867-1872: Basile Piché
- 1872-1878: M. Ouimet
- 1878-1883: Wail McGauvran & Tucken
- 1883-1890: R. Gagnon père et fils
- 1890-1906: Dominion Leather Board Company
- 1906-1950: Back River Power Co
- 1950-1980: Milmont Fibreboards Co
There have been a few kinds of mills over the years.
- 1833-1879: Nail mill
- 1873-1890: Sawmill and paper mill
- 1890-1977: Paper mill
Maison du Pressoir
[edit]The Maison du Pressoir was built in 1806 by Didier Joubert who used it to press apples into cider. It then became a house.
The remains of the stone foundation which served as base for the machine still exist.
References
[edit]- ^ Gordon Lefebbre, Montréal-Nord, d'hier à aujourd'hui, Comité d'histoire de Montréal-Nord, 2000, p. 10
