Lieu historique national du Commerce-de-la-Fourrure-à-Lachine — Attraction in Montreal

Beginning in the 17th century, voyageurs would launch their canoes from this location to transport trade goods thousands of miles into the interior of North America lands. At that time the Lachine Rapids prevented large ships from going any further west along the Saint Lawrence River. A stone warehouse was erected in 1803 to store the furs gathered as a result of fur trade. It is now a Parks Canada museum dedicated to the history of this strategic location as a departure and arrival point for fur trading expeditions. The site is separate from Lachine Canal National Historic Site, with which it is inextricably connected. Montreal was the start of nearly all westward canoe routes. See Canadian canoe routes (early). Here furs were transferred from canoe to ship and trade goods from ship to canoe. A natural transfer point was the west end of Montreal Island since goods could be carted over a nine-mile road around the Lachine Rapids. Canoes usually left in May and returned in August. The Northwest Company built a stone warehouse here in 1803. It was used until 1859 when it was sold to the Sisters of Sainte Anne who used it as an employee residence. The Lachine Canal was built around the rapids in 1825. Sir George Simpson (administrator) had a mansion across the canal from the warehouse which was torn down in 1880. Parks Canada acquired the warehouse in 1977 and in 1985 opened...

There was a visitor center and interpretive space in the same building. Parking immediately adjacent to the building across the canal.! They provide a pass inside the Fur Trade building. Their were some beautiful fur pelts on exhibit. There were lots of staff around that I guess are volunteers. They'll tell you which pelts you can and cannot touch. It is an old, original building with some articles from the period of the trade empire that once was Montreal. In a wonderful setting on the canal island. The whole area is a big park. Fishing, biking, walking, boating are all done from this area. As far as being a National Historic Site it was a bit lack luster. The history of this place seems to be lost or...

What a wonderful museum! When I arrived, there was no one there but the two guides -- two kind and friendly guys named Alex. They helped me get situated in the neighborhood and really taught me so much about the history of Canada, the fur trade, and how Montréal fits into all this, with trade routes, various Native American societies, and a tricky set of rapids. All the text is in both English and French, and it seems like they're both very competent in both languages too. They could not have been sweeter hosts. I'm so happy to have met them and to have...