Neptune's Needle

City (1991 pop. 1,017,666), S Que., Canada, on Montreal isl., surrounded by St. Lawrence R. and Riviere des Prairies; 45º31'N 73º34'W. Montreal has an excellent harbor on the St. Lawrence Seaway, which connects the city to the great industrial centers of the Great Lakes. A stockaded Native-Amer. village, Hochelaga, was found on the site (1535) by Jacques Cartier, and the isl. was visited in 1603 by Samuel de Champlain, but it was not settled by the French until 1642, when a band of priests, nuns, and settlers. The settlement grew to become an important center of the fur trade and the starting point for the W expeditions of Jolliet, Marquette, La Salle, Varendrye, and Duluth. It was fortified in 1725 and remained in Fr. possession until 1760, when Vaudreuil de Cavagnal surrendered it to Brit. forces under Amherst. Americans under Richard Montgomery occupied it briefly (1775-1776) during the Amer. Revolution. The city’s growth was aided by the opening in 1825 of the Lachine Canal, making possible water communications with the Great Lakes.

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Compiler

Peter Richards