Pointe-Claire, Quebec
Encyclopedia : P : PO : POI : Pointe-Claire, Quebec
Pointe-Claire is a municipality in southwestern Quebec; population 29,286 (Statistics Canada, 2001). Along with the other municipalities on the island of Montreal, it was merged with the city of Montreal on January 1, 2002 by the provincial government. On June 20, 2004, referendums were held in the boroughs of Montreal that had recently been merged to determine whether or not there was popular support to reinstate them as their own separate entities. As a result, Pointe-Claire was reinstated as a city on January 1, 2006.
The city's symbol is the windmill located on the shoreline. The area remains known in the sports world for its contributions to competitive swimming, and has sent several Canadian athletes to the Summer Olympic Games. It is also the hometown of musician Sam Roberts and British tennis star Greg Rusedski.
Pointe-Claire is on the north shore of Lac Saint-Louis. It is bordered on the east by Dorval, on the north by Dollard-Des Ormeaux, and on the west by Kirkland and Beaconsfield.
History
The 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 (numbers 145 to 177). These were generally three acres wide by 20 or 30 acres deep.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 Railway in 1855 (now CN), which reduced the journey to Montreal to 45 minutes, as well as with the opening of the Canadian Pacific Railway line in 1887 and the initiation of telephone service in the 1890s. At the turn of the 20th 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.
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, now Autoroute 20, Pointe Claire's role as a suburb was confirmed. The important part of its architectural and historical heritage is located to the south.
Born in Pointe-Claire, Quebec
- Patricia Noall (b. 1970), Olympic freestyle swimmer for Canada
- Sam Roberts (b. 1974), rock musician
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.