Montreal History by key date


This history section contains a list of political, social or geographic events that have changed Montreal's evolution. History of Montreal is rich and full of special cultural happening this is why we choose to include every aspect of historical chronology for the city once known as Ville-Marie

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1535   Jacques Cartier is greeted at Hochelaga by Iroquoians, he names the mountain Mont-Royal

1642   Fondation of Ville-Marie by Paul de Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve

1657   Sulpicians became lord of Montreal Island

1657   Opening of the first school by Marguerite Bourgeois

1659   Death of Jerome Le Royer de la Dauversière, chief instigator of the conversion mission in Ville-Marie.

1662   Maisonneuve grants 60 acres to Margaret Bourgeoys

1663   The company of Saint-Sulpice became owner of the Montreal island

1667   Reception of the filles du roi formed by Marguerite Bourgeoys.

1676   Establishment of the catholic parish Saints-Anges-Gardiens (Lachine)

1684   The Notre-Dame Congregation convent is destroyed by a fire

1684   Louis-Hector de Callière (1648-1703) is named governor of Montreal

1687   An epidemic of typhus kills approximately 150 people with the autumn 1687

1692   Jesuits and Récolets are back in Montreal

1694   Louis Tantouin de LaTouche is named subdelegated of the intendant

1701   Signature of the Great Peace of Montreal.

1703   Establishment of the catholic parish Sainte-Anne-De-Bellevue

1705   Montreal is now the official name for the city formerly named Ville-Marie

1711   Court ordered the construction of a stone wall around the city.

1720   Establishment of the St. Lawrence parish

1721   New wood constructions are now prohibited in city limits

1734   Montreal is devastated by a large fire.

1734   Opening of the Road of the king ( Chemin du roi ) between Montreal and Quebec

1737   Foundation of the religious Congregation Gray Nuns by Marguerite d'Youville

1737   Plague Epidemic

1760   Montreal surrend facing English troops

1765   Montreal is devastated by a large fire.

1767   Founding of the Montreal College de by the Sulpicians

1775   Montreal is occupied by U.S. independence forces.

1777   Opening of the first Synagogue (Shearith Israel) in Montreal.

1786   Opening of the Molson Brewery.

1805   The first aqueduct in the old city

1817   Foundation of the first bank in Canada: the Bank of Montreal.

1821   McGill University obtiain its charter of foundation.

1821-07-21   Beginning of Lachine Canal digging

1824   Opening of the Lachine Canal.

1824   Founding of the Medical Association of Montreal

1830   The Montreal arbour is officially incoporated

1832   Incorporation for the city of Montreal

1832-05-21   Riot following a partial election : 3 death

1833   Jacques Viger was elected mayor of Montreal by city councillors

1834-06-24   Funding of the société Saint-Jean-Baptisete de Montréal

1836   The Catholic diocese in Montreal is form separate from the diocese of Quebec.

1836   Montreal is lighted by the Montreal Gas Light Co.

1843   Foundation of the religious congregation of the Sisters of Providence by Émelie Gamelin

1843   Foundation of the religious congregation Saints-Noms-de-Jésus-et-de-Marie

1844   Establishement of the Institut Canadien de Montréal

1846-09-14   Creation of the village of Côte-Saint-Louis

1847   Foundation of the Saving Bank of the city of the district of Montreal which became the Bank Laurentienne 198

1847   Arrived of Brother of Saint-Viateur in Montreal .

1848   Creation of the Lachine village.

1848   Foundation of the religious congregation of Sisters of Mercy

1849    Parliament is set on fire in Montreal by the torries

1850   Begins of St. Lawrence dredging to allow oceanic boat getting to Montreal

1851   Opening of the first Montreal's Y.M.C.A.

1852   of the Grand Trunck Railroad company

1852-07-08    Fire in Quebec suburb. 20% of the east city is devastated.

1853   Riot following the arrival of the anti pope Gavazzi, 15 dead, 40 injured.

1854   Cholera kills more then1000 citizens.

1856   First regular link in train between Montreal and Toronto

1856   Montreal is the host of the YMCA third annual convention of the British provinces and USA

1857-07-14   Opening of the Saint-James club still the oldest private club of Montreal

1859   Foundation of the National Bank of Canada

1860   Establishment of the Art Association of Montreal

1861   Population of Montreal city is now 90 323 inhabitants

1861   First tram horses in the Old Montreal.

1861-01-05   The village of Saint-Jean-Baptist separates from the village of Côte-Saint-Louis

1861-05-18   Establishement of the Montreal City Passenger Railway with a capitalization of 500 000 $

1864   Carters' strike, Montreal is paralyzed

1867   Creation of the Saint-Henri parish starting from the territory of Notre-Dame de Gâce parish

1868-04-13   Burial of Thomas Darcy McGee

1869   Death of Joseph Guibord of the Canadian institute. Church refused its burial.

1869-01-16   Publication of Evening Star, who will become in 1877 The Montreal Daily Star

1870   The village of Lachine becomes the town of Lachine.

1870   Launch of Montrealers Journal: Opinion Publique.

1871   Visit of the duke Alexis of Russia

1871   Population of Montreal city is now 107 225 inhabitants

1871   Foundation of Sun Life by Matthew Hamilton Gault

1874   St. Helene Island became a park in vogue

1874   Establishment of St. Gabriel municipality

1874-06-24   Celebration of St-jean brings french speaking representatives from all across America.

1875   The village of Outremont separates from the village of Côte-Saint-Louis

1875   Creation of the town Saint-Henri

1875   Municipality of Verdun is created, detached from the parish of Notre-Dame of Montreal.

1875   Montreal and New York are now linked by train

1875   Extension of the Lachine Canal and deepened to 14 feet.

1876-05-24   Inauguration of the Mount Royal Park

1876-12-28   La-Rivière-Saint-Pierre Village became Verdun

1878   Foundation of the Royal Golf Club of Montreal

1878-03-09   the village Saint-Louis of the End Mile separates from the village of côte-Saint-Louis.

1879   Printing of the first edition of the newspaper La Patrie by Honoré Beaugrand

1881   Population of Montreal city is around 140700 inhabitants

1881   Montreal have the autorisation to open a branch of Laval University in Montreal (will be latter University o

1882   Opening of the Montreal-Sorel railway

1883   First Winter Carnival in Montreal

1883   Annexation of the city of Hochelaga

1884   First print of the newspaper La Presse

1884   St. Cunégonde Village become City

1885   A Small Pox Epidemic kills 3 164 Montrealers ( over 150 000 inhabitant)

1886   Major Innondation of the town

1886   Annexion of Saint-Jean-Baptiste

1886-06-28   First Trans Canada train departure

1887   Annexion of St. Gabriel

1891   Population of Montreal city is around 216 650 inhabitants

1894   Last horse car pulled in the city

1895   The village of Outremont becomes the town of Outremont

1895   Birth of the « l’École Littéraire de Montréal » (AKA Literary School of Montreal)

1895-11-21   he village Saint-Louis of the End Mile becomes the town of Saint-Louis

1896-10-30   Creation of the Villeray village

1897   Foundation of Builder' S Exchange which became Montreal Association construction

1897   Paul Brushésie became bishop of Montreal.

1899   Construction of a dam in the Old Port: there will be no more flooding.

1899-03-10   Incorporation of Loyola College

1900-02-01   Re-election of Raymond Préfontaine to Montreal town hall

1901   Population of Montreal city is around 267 730 inhabitants

1902-02-01   Election of James Cochrane to Montreal town hall

1903   Foundation of the Insurance Company “La sauvegarde”

1903-02-06   General strike by the trams employees of Montreal

1904-02-18   Election of Hormidas Laporte to Montreal town hall

1905   The St-Laurent boulevard becomes the line of demarcation between east and west side of the city

1905-09-11   Annexation Villeray village to Montreal city

1905-11-27   Annexation of Saint-Henri city to Montreal city

1906   First demonstration of a zepplin in Montreal

1906   Opening of the first cinema in Montreal

1906-08-11   First pedestrian killed by a car

1907   Economic slowdown - creation of the "Office of the municipal assistance".

1907   Montreal Wanderers won the Stanley Cup.

1907-02-28   The village of Verdun becomes the town of Verdun

1907-06-14   Inauguration of Blue Bonnets Horse Race yard

1908   Finaly Montreal bouth St. Helene Island for 200 000

1908-02-03   Election of Louis Payette to Montreal town hall

1909-11-31   Annexation of Saint-Louis city to Montreal city

1909-12-04   Creation of the Canadians of Montreal Hockey Team

1910-01-10   Foundation of the newspaper “Le Devoir”

1910-02-01   Election of James J. Guerin to Montreal town hall

1910-06-04   Adoption of a bill allowing multiples annexations of suburb town of Montreal

1910-09-06   Great Congress eucharistic in Montreal

1911   Shaw and Décary buy in one day the grounds of the future town of Mount-Royal for CNR

1912   Saint-Jean-Baptiste-de-la-Pointe-aux-Trembles village became the City of Pointe-aux-Trembles.

1912-02-01   Election of Louis-Arsène Lavallée to Montreal town hall

1912-03-14   Incorporation of the city of LaSalle from Saints-Anges-de-Lachine parish

1913   Establishment of a permanent troop of Yiddish theatre in Montreal

1914   Foundation of the catholic working Federation of Montreal

1914-04-06   Election of Médéric Martin to Montreal town hall

1915   Establishement of the City of Montreal-Nord

1916   Annexion of Cartierville and Sault-au-Récollet

1916-03-30   First conquest of the Stanley cut by the Montreal Canadian hockey team

1916-08-24   Big Demonstration anticonscriptionnist on the Place d'Arme

1918   Province of Quebec put Montreal under his control

1918-02-09   Annexation of the Maisonneuve city to the city of Montreal

1918-10-21   First train under the mountain: It transports millitaires leaving for Sébastopol to Russia

1923   The congregation Notre-Dame de Montréal was founded in 1923 by Marie-Gérin Lajoie

1923   Belmont Park opening in Cartierville

1924-03-25   Election of Charles Duquette to Montreal town hall

1924-05-14   Fondation of "l'Association canadienne-française pour l'avancement des sciences"

1924-10-30   Bank of Montreal acquires Molson Bank

1925   construction of the Jacques-Cartier bridge

1930   Beginning of commercial flight from Montreal

1931-04-14   Montreal Canadien won the Stanley Cup

1932-01-14   Landowner womens can now vote in Montreal municipal elections.

1934   Opening of the Honoré-Mercier bridge

1935-04-09   Montreal Maroons won the Stanley Cup

1935-09-06   Montreal Royals won the International League championship against Toronto.

1937   Last summer for Dominion Park

1941   First edition of the daily Montreal-Matin

1941-09-01   Opening of the Dorval International Airport

1944-04-19   Crash of a small aircraft in Griffintown: 15 dead

1944-08-14   Camillien Houde greeted after 4 years in jail by thousands of people at Windsor Station

1944-12-11   Camillien Houde elected mayor

1946   Establishment of Les Alouettes, Montreal’s football team in the CFL.

1951   Birth of the Commission de Transport de Montral ancestor of the actual STM

1954   First election of Jean-Drapeau to Montreal town hall

1955   Dorchester street is is widened in boulevard , many building where destroyed to make place to the new axis

1955-03-17    Riot on St. Catherine following the suspension of Maurice Richard

1958   The Côte-Saint-Luc village becomes the town of Côte-Saint-Luc

1959-06-26   Inauguration of the St. Lawrence maritime way

1960   Opening of the Métropolitain boulevard between Côte de liesse and PIE IX

1961   Creation of Bureau du Metro AKA Subway Autority

1962   Opening of the Champlain bridge

1962   Montreal's first underground tunnel between Place Ville-Marie and the Central Station

1963   The town of Rivière-des-Prairies is attached to Montreal

1964   Annexion of Saraguay

1964-07-15   Establishment of the Journal de Montréal by Pierre Péladeau

1966-09-14   Inauguration of Montreal subway

1967   International exhibition

1967   Opening of the Décarie motorway

1967-03-11   Opening of the Bridge-Tunnel Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine

1967-04-29   First Saturday of Expo 67: 423,000 visitors on the site

1967-10-28   A fifty millionth visitor enters Expo 67, one day before events ends

1968   Annexation of City of Saint-Michel.

1969   Creation of the CUM, Montreal suprastructure municipal organisation

1969-04-09   UQAM is Created

1969-04-14   1969 : Baseball : First game for the Montreal’s Expos at Jarry Stadium

1969-10-07   Illegal 16 hours Strike of Montreal Police, chaos in the city.

1970-01-01   Birth of the Communauté Urbaine de Montréal, a first regional government

1971   Montreal received the most important falls of snow ever recorded for a year: 383,3 cm (12,5 feet).

1972-09-01   Criminal fire at the Blue Bird, 37 killed

1973   First election of a school commissioner in Montreal

1974   Birth of the Concordia University of Montreal

1975-08-20   CUM approves 1,596 million for the subway extension.

1975-12-31    Montreal Canadiens facing the Russian team of the Red Army

1976-07-17   Montreal host olympic summer games

1977   First Festival canadien des films du monde im Montréal, will become the festival des Films du Monde FFM

1978   First Grand Prix du Canada in Montreal on Notre-Dame Island

1978   End of the Montreal Matin newspaper

1978-01-03   The city host the final championship of the world junior hockey

1978-11-12   Reelection of Jean Drapeau as mayor of Montreal

1979-08-25    First Montreal International Marathon

1979-10-25   Latest issue of the newspaper "The Montreal Star"

1981   The Old Port of Montréal Corporation is established

1982   Annexation of City of Pointe-aux-Trembles

1983   Opening of the Centre d’Histoire de Montréal

1983   Last summer for Belmont Park

1984   Visit of Jean-Paul II Pope in montreal

1986   Élection de Jean Doré à la mairie de Montréal après les 26 ans de règne de Jean Drapeau

1986-06-16   Innauguration of Jean-Talon subway station

1987   Montreal deluge : more than 100 mm of rain in 2 hours

1988   The Jardin des Merveilles zoo closes permanently

1994   Pierre Bourque becomes mayor of Montreal

1996   Establishement of CRE-Montreal

1998   CECM becomes CSDM and SBGM becomes EMSB

1998   Montreal and east of Quebec province is suffering the worst ice storm ever recorded

2001   Gérald Tremblay becomes mayor of Montreal

2001-11-31   Urban Community of Montreal (CUM) definitively ceased its activities after 31 years of existence

2002   Incorporation of the Société du Havre de Montréal

2002   Establishment of OCPM

2002-01-01   The Town of Outremont is now part of Montreal city

2004   Montreal Expo play their last match of baseball

2005   Reelection of Mayor Gérald Tremblay

2006   Montreal receives the Outgames

2006-09-13    Shooting at Dawson College

2007-04-26   Three new métro station in Laval

2009-05-11   Bixi, the new bike rental service starts his operation

2009-11-01   Reelection of Mayor Gérald Tremblay

2009-11-29   Alouettes win Grey Cup

2011   Record year: 12,681 condos to be completed

2011-05-20   Opening of Highway 25 bridge between Montreal and Laval

2011-10-05   Announcement of the construction of a new Champlain Bridge.