Jean-Drapeau Park blows out its 150 candles

150 years ago, on Friday, the City of Montreal formalized its residents’ right of access to part of Sainte-Hélène Island, thus creating its first large park. A look back at some key dates in the history of Parc Jean-Drapeau, this essential place in the history of the metropolis.

Its discovery by Champlain

Frequented by the Iroquoians for hundreds of years, Sainte-Hélène Island was named in 1611 by Samuel de Champlain in honor of his wife, Hélène Boullé. It was granted in 1655 to Charles Le Moyne and then attached to his lordship of Longueuil. He had the first buildings built there: a stone manor, a cider press, a sheepfold, a stable and a mill. For a long time, the island served as a summer residence for the Le Moyne family, who received dignitaries there.

The military period

In 1818, the British government acquired it and immediately began building facilities to house soldiers. A fort was built there at a time when Montreal was considered vulnerable to an American attack, the Anglo-American War having just ended. Up to 600 men were housed in the arsenal in 1837-1838. The island will partly retain a military and prison character until the two world wars.

The inauguration

Following Confederation, in 1870, the British army withdrew from the island and the City of Montreal began discussions with the Canadian government to be able to use it. The idea was pushed by the mayor at the time, Aldis Bernard, whose short mandate (1873-1875) was devoted to the creation of large public parks, hence his nickname “mayor of parks”. On February 9, 1874, access to the island was formalized by the municipal council. A few months later, in June, no less than 6,000 Montrealers went there by steamboat to attend an open-air concert marking the inauguration of the park.

The major works

The construction of the Le Havre Bridge (renamed the Jacques-Cartier Bridge), inaugurated in 1930, facilitated access to Sainte-Hélène Island, on foot or by car. Landscape architect Frederick Gage Todd then developed a first major development plan which provided for the construction of several facilities and the connection of Round Island (where the amusement park of the same name is located today). In 1962, Montreal was chosen for
host the 1967 World’s Fair, which will mark Canada’s centennial. The islands of the St. Lawrence were chosen as the site and Todd’s project to expand the archipelago came back to life with the creation of an artificial island, Notre-Dame Island, thanks to the dredging of the river and the excavation of the metro.

The consecration

The Universal and International Exhibition, commonly called Expo 67, propelled the metropolis onto the international scene. The event, with the theme “Land of Men”, welcomes 62 nations. More than 100 thematic pavilions were built and the site received 50 million visitors in six months. A few years later, a 2.2 km long pool was built on Notre-Dame Island to hold rowing and canoeing competitions for the first Olympic Games organized in Canada, in 1976. Two years later, Notre-Dame Island once again hosted a competition of international caliber: the Formula 1 World Championship, won that year by Gilles Villeneuve.

A rejuvenation treatment

The holding of these last two events, however, had repercussions on the pavilions of Expo 67. Of the initial hundred, only seven remained, including that of the United States, renamed Biosphere, in 1968, by Mayor Jean Drapeau . The park was also renamed in 1999 after the man who still holds the record for longevity at the head of the City. Parc Jean-Drapeau has since become the site of numerous cultural events, including the Osheaga festival, which has been held there every year since 2006. In April 2021, the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau presented a master plan providing for investments in 1 billion over 10 years in order to offer it a rejuvenation treatment.

Sources: Héritage Montréal, the City of Montreal and Jean-Drapeau Park