The Coteau-du-Lac
National Historic Site is located 40 km southwest of Montréal
on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, and offers a window on
a particularly rich history going back several millennia in time.
Owing to its strategic position on the River, the main route into
inland North America, this site has played a major role in the
development of river transportation in Canada. At first a portage
for nomadic Aboriginal peoples, Coteau-du-Lac later became a genuine
bypass for travellers from Great Britain and France. By the late
18th century, a lock canal is constructed on this location. It
was the first work of its kind in North America and was to serve
as a forerunner of the modern-day St. Lawrence Seaway.
