Fetching the article from Wikipedia…
Founding
Founding of Trois-Rivières
city in Quebec, Canada
- 1634 – 1846
- North America
Founding
city in Quebec, Canada
Fetching the article from Wikipedia…
Trois-Rivières (French: [tʁwɑ ʁivjɛʁ], Canadian French: [tʁwɔ ʁivjaɛ̯ʁ] ⓘ; lit. 'Three Rivers') is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from the city of Bécancour. It is part of the densely populated Quebec City–Windsor Corridor and is approximately halfway between Montreal and Quebec City. Trois-Rivières is the economic and cultural hub of the Mauricie region. The settlement was founded by French colonists on July 4, 1634, as the second permanent settlement in New France, after Quebec City in 1608.
The name of Trois-Rivières, which dates from the end of the 16th century, was used by French explorers in reference to the three channels in the Saint-Maurice River formed at its mouth with the Saint Lawrence, as it is divided by two islands, Potherie (Île Caron) and Île Saint-Quentin. The city occupies a location near where Jacques Cartier, in a 1535 trip along the St. Lawrence, stopped to plant a cross on Saint-Quentin island.
Trois-Rivières is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) of Quebec, coextensive with the city of Trois-Rivières. Its geographical code is 371. Together with the regional county municipality of Les Chenaux, it forms the census division (CD) of Francheville (37). The municipalities within Les Chenaux and the former municipalities that were amalgamated into Trois-Rivières formerly constituted the regional county municipality of Francheville. Trois-Rivières is the seat of the judicial district of the same name.
The city's name, which is French for 'three rivers', is named for the fact the Saint-Maurice River has three mouths at the Saint Lawrence River, as it is divided by two islands in the river. The Trois-Rivières name was used for the first time in 1599 by Sieur François Gravé Du Pont, a geographer under Champlain, whose records confirmed the name in 1603. As Sieur Gravé Du Pont sailed upriver toward Montreal, he saw what appeared to be three separate tributaries. He had yet to learn that two large islands divide the course of the Saint-Maurice River into three streams, where each flows into the St. Lawrence River.
Historically, in English this city was once known as Three Rivers. Since the late 20th century, when there has been more recognition of Quebec and French speakers, the city has generally been referred to as Trois-Rivières in both English and French. The anglicized name still appears in many areas of the town (e.g., the city's Three Rivers Academy), bearing witness to the influence of English settlers in the town. The city's inhabitants are known as Trifluviens (Trifluvians).
For thousands of years, the area that would later become known as Trois-Rivières was frequented by indigenous peoples. The historic Algonquin and Abenaki peoples used it as a summer stopping place. They would fish and hunt here, as well as gather roots and nuts. The area was rich in resources. The French explorer Jacques Cartier described the site while on his second journey to the New World in 1535.
The name "Trois-Rivières", however, was not given until 1599, by Captain Dupont-Gravé, and first appeared on maps of the area dated 1601.
In 1603, while surveying the Saint-Lawrence River, Samuel de Champlain recommended establishing a permanent settlement in the area. The settlement grew into a village, officially formed on July 4, 1634, by its first governor, Sieur de Laviolette. Early inhabitants of Trois-Rivières included Quentin Moral, Sieur de St-Quentin; future governor Pierre Boucher de Grosbois, François Hertel de la Fresnière (father of Joseph-François Hertel de la Fresnière), François Marguerie, René Robineau, and Jean Sauvaget, and interpreter Jean Godefroy de Lintot, who married Marie, daughter of Michel Le Neuf.
Jacques Leneuf de La Poterie, who would become governor of Trois-Rivières, and acting governor of New France, and royal judge Michel Le Neuf du Hérisson, who would be acting governor of Trois-Rivières, brothers, arrived with their widowed mother, Jeanne Le Marchand, in 1636. The Le Neufs were accompanied by Jacques' wife, Marguerite, and her brothers, Pierre Legardeur de Repentigny and future governor Charles Legardeur de Tilly.
The city was the second to be founded in New France (after Quebec City, before Montreal). Given its strategic location, it played an important role in the colony and in the fur trade with First Nations peoples. The settlement became the seat of a regional Government of Trois-Rivières in 1665. Ursuline nuns first arrived at the settlement in 1697, where they founded the first school and helped local missionaries to Christianize the local indigenous people, developing a class of Métis people. In 1730, the first smiths opened on the Saint Maurice river.
French sovereignty in Trois-Rivières continued until 1760, when the city was captured as part of the British conquest of Canada during the Seven Years' War. Sixteen years later, on June 8, 1776, it was the theatre of the Battle of Trois-Rivières (part of the ill-fated invasion of the province of Quebec by les Bostonnais, Americans from the Boston area) during the American Revolutionary War who arrived with the goal of weakening the British settlement.
Trois-Rivières continued to grow in importance throughout this period and beyond. In 1792 it was designated as the seat of a judicial district. In 1852, the Roman Catholic church made this the see of the Diocese of Trois-Rivières.
In 1816, Captain A.G. Douglas, a former adjutant at the British military college at Great Marlow, recommended a military college for Catholic and Protestant boys be established at Trois-Rivières. He proposed it operate in a disused government house and he would be superintendent. Douglas' college was intended as a boarding school to educate the young sons of officers, amongst others, in Latin, English, French, history, geography, drawing and mathematics. This preceded the founding of the Royal Military College of Canada in 1876. In 1878 a railway began to serve the city directly (north side of the St Lawrence).
In 1908, the greater part of the city of Trois-Rivières was destroyed by a fire; most of the city's original buildings, many dating to the French colonial years, were destroyed. Among the surviving buildings were the Ursuline Monastery and the De Tonnancour Manor. As a result of the destruction, a major redesign and renovation of the city was undertaken, including the widening and renewal of many of the city's roads. Many new businesses and industries became established in the town, attracting additional residents.
During the mid-century, the city became heavily industrialized and lost jobs during the later restructuring. In the 1960s, Trois-Rivières undertook a large-scale project of economic diversification, including founding several cultural institutions and attractions. The Old City of Trois-Rivières was declared an "historic sector" in 1964. The Laviolette Bridge, linking Trois-Rivières to Bécancour and the south shore of the Saint-Lawrence River, was opened officially on December 20, 1967. In 1969, the city founded the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, known for its chiropractic school, its podiatric medical education, and its programs for primary and secondary school education.
Although historically an important centre of commerce, trade and population, Trois-Rivières has been superseded by the two major cities of Quebec: the metropolis of Montreal and the capital of Quebec City. It remains as one of the principal medium-sized cities of Quebec, along with Saguenay, Sherbrooke, and Gatineau.
Saint-Quentin Island lies at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River and St. Lawrence River, where the city of Trois-Rivières developed. With the islands Saint-Christophe and De La Poterie, it creates three channels at the mouth of the Saint-Maurice River, where it flows into St. Lawrence River. The island was named in honour of judge Quentin Moral, also said to be a fur trader and one of the first dealers on this island. It is now a centre of popular outdoor activities and relaxation at the heart of city. The patron saint of the island is Quentin de Rome.
It was first inhabited by an Algonquin tribe who cultivate corn in the lowlands of the river. On October 7, 1535, Jacques Cartier planted a cross on the island and proclaimed the sovereignty of France on this territory. A commemorative wrought iron cross was erected at the site associated with Cartier's claim. The natural environment of Saint-Quentin has remained virtually unchanged. For nearly a century, it was not developed or cultivated.
Since 1930, the island has become more important as a destination for recreation. The island belonged at the time to Quebec Savings and Trust Company Limited and the Canada Power and Paper Corporation. The city bid for the land in 1933, but did not take ownership until November 3, 1947. During World War II, it was the site of a training camp for the Royal Canadian Navy. Services were gradually introduced in 1950.
The park and the beach on the island Saint-Quentin were officially inaugurated on June 24, 1962, in the presence of 5,000 people. There were more than 100 000 visitors that year. Since then, many facilities have been developed on the island, including a marina, a bike path, an interpretative trail, an ice rink, and camping ground. Several happenings and festivals are held annually on the island.
The area has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). Winters are long, cold, and snowy: the January high is −5.6 °C (21.9 °F), with lows dropping to −20 °C (−4 °F) on 27 nights per year and to −30 °C (−22 °F) on 2.9 nights. Snowfall averages 274.4 cm (108.0 in), with reliable snow cover from December to March. Summers are warm, with an average July high of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F), and high temperatures reach 30 °C (86 °F) on 5.5 days per summer. Spring and autumn are short and crisp. Precipitation averages 1,001.7 mm (39.44 in), and is the greatest during summer.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Trois-Rivières was 37.8 °C (100.0 °F) on 17 July 1953. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −41.7 °C (−43.1 °F) on 5 February 1923.
According to the 2021 Canadian census, Trois-Rivières had a population of 139,163 an increase of 3.5% from its 2016 population of 134,413. This population lived in 66,822 of its 70,411 total private dwellings. With a land area of 288.65 km2 (111.45 sq mi), the city had a population density of 482.1/km2 (1,248.7/sq mi) in 2021.
The Trois-Rivières metropolitan area as defined by Statistics Canada comprises Trois-Rivières itself and six other municipalities. Saint-Maurice, Yamachiche, Champlain and Saint-Luc-de-Vincennes are all located on the North shore and except for Saint-Luc (which is separated from it by Saint-Maurice) are also directly adjacent to Trois-Rivières. The city of Bécancour and the enclaved Indian reservation of Wôlinak are located opposite Trois-Rivières on the South shore of the Saint Lawrence River. In 2021 the population of the census metropolitan area was 161,489 in a land area of 1,038.64 km2 (401.02 sq mi) giving a population density of 155.5/km2 (402.7/sq mi)
In 2021 the population centre had 128,057 people in an area of 98.58 km2 (38.06 sq mi) giving a population density of 1,299.0/km2 (3,364.4/sq mi)
Prior to amalgamation on January 1, 2002, the new city of Trois-Rivières was divided among six municipalities.
In 2021, the median age in Trois-Rivières was 47.2 years, compared to the Canadian average of 41.6. Slightly more than a quarter (26.3%) of the population was of retirement age (65 and older) compared to 19% in Canada as a whole.
French was the sole mother tongue of 93.9% of residents of Trois-Rivières. The next most common first languages cited were English (1.2%), Spanish (1.1%), and Arabic (0.8%). 0.7% claimed both English and French as a first language, while 0.5% claimed both French and a non-official language.
In 2021, 71.0% of Trois-Rivières residents were Christian, down from 89.9% in 2011. 64.6% of residents were Catholic, 4.4% were Christians of unspecified denomination, and 0.7% were Protestants. All other Christian denominations and Christian-related traditions accounted for 1.3% of the population. 26.8% of residents were nonreligious or secular, up from 9.1% in 2011. All other religions and spiritual traditions account for 2.1% of the population. The largest non-Christian religion was Islam (1.6%).
According to the 2021 census, Approximately 92.1% of residents were White, 1.9% were Indigenous and 6.0% were visible minorities. The largest visible minority groups in Trois-Rivières were Black (2.8%), Latin American (1.2%), and Arab (1.0%).
Trois-Rivières is Canada's oldest industrial city, with its first foundry established in 1738. The forge produced iron and cast for 150 years, much of it being shipped to France to be used in French navy ships. The first port facility was built in 1818 near rue Saint-Antoine, and today handles 2.5 million tonnes of cargo annually. The first railway was built in 1879 to support the growing lumber industry.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Trois-Rivières”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.