Chambly Canal National Historic Site of Canada
Waterway History
The history of the Richelieu Valley clearly illustrates the importance
of the river as a means of communication and commercial trading. Navigable
along most of its length, the river had long been a main route for Amerindian
bands living by hunting, fishing and food-gathering.
The strategic importance of this waterway for possible invasions
and as a route into the interior was apparent from the earliest beginnings
of French settlement. To ensure control of this territory and the river,
the French built a series of fortifications along the Richelieu. Chambly
Fort and the Saint-Jean Fort are important relics from this era.
Canadian
Voyageurs walking a canoe up a rapid.
© National Archives of Canada / Bartlett / C-008373
To overcome the rapids at Saint-Jean and Chambly, which could only
be crossed with laborious portaging, people started to envision a maritime
link bypassing these obstacles.
They would have to wait until the 19th century for the building of
a navigable waterway to be authorized, linking Lake Champlain and the Chambly
basin. Although the government of Lower Canada gave permission for the building
of this waterway in 1818, various problems arose and work did not begin until
1831. It was completed in 1843 when the full length of the Chambly Canal
was opened.
Workmen
rebuilding a dock in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in 1931.
© National Archives of Canada / PA-085845
The canal played an increasingly important commercial role until
the early 20th century. During this period, Canadian-American trade on the
Richelieu was at its peak. The First World War and the economic crisis of
1929 marked the beginning of the decline of commercial navigation on the
Chambly Canal. Commercial navigation ceased almost completely in the 1970s
and was gradually replaced by pleasure boating. Barges made way for yachts,
sailboats and pontoons.
At the same time, the canal was developed for recreational use and
its banks were landscaped. Visitors now have access to the locks, bridges
and lockmasters' houses, which have retained their authentic feel and help
make the Chambly Canal an outstanding historic site.