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Saint Helen's Island

Coordinates:45°31′04″N73°32′02″W/ 45.51778°N 73.53389°W/45.51778; -73.53389
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused withSaint Helena.

Saint Helen's Island
Native name:
Île Sainte-Hélène
Saint Helen's Island with theMontreal Biosphereon the right
Map
Geography
LocationSaint Lawrence River
Coordinates45°31′04″N73°32′02″W/ 45.51778°N 73.53389°W/45.51778; -73.53389
ArchipelagoHochelaga Archipelago
Administration
Canada
ProvinceQuebec
CityMontreal
BoroughVille-Marie
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited

Saint Helen's Island(French:Île Sainte-Hélène) is anislandin theSaint Lawrence River,in the territory of the city ofMontreal,Quebec,Canada.It forms part of theHochelaga Archipelago.It is situated immediately offshore fromOld Montrealon the southeastern side of theIsland of Montrealin southwestern Quebec, and is part of the central borough ofVille-Marie.The Le Moyne Channel separates it fromNotre Dame Island.Saint Helen's Island and Notre Dame Island together make upJean-Drapeau Park(formerlyParc des Îles).

It was named in 1611 bySamuel de Champlainin honour of his wife, Hélène de Champlain, née Boullé. The island belonged to the Le Moyne family ofLongueuilfrom 1665 until 1818, when it was purchased by theBritishgovernment. A fort (Saint Helen Island Fort), powderhouse and blockhouse were built on the island as defences for the city, in consequence of theWar of 1812.

History[edit]

Painting, Montreal from St. Helen's Island by George Heriot, about 1801

In 1838 plans were in place by theBritishOrdnance Departmentto establish an observatory, but it was moved toTorontoinstead.[1]

The newly formed Canadian government acquired the island in 1870; it was converted into a public park in 1874. The public used it as a beach and swam in the river.[2]

In the 1940s, duringWorld War II,Saint Helen's Island, along with various other regions within Canada, such as theSaguenay-Lac-Saint-JeanandHull,Quebec hadprisoner-of-war camps.St. Helen's prison was number forty seven and remained unnamed just like most of Canada's other war prisons.[3]Theprisoners of war(POWs) were sorted and classified into categories including their nationality andcivilianor military status. In this camp, POWs were mostly of Italian and German nationality.[4]Also, prisoners were forced into hard labour which included farming and lumbering the land. By 1944 the camp would be closed and shortly afterwards destroyed because of an internal report on the treatment of prisoners.

The archipelago of which Saint Helen's Island is a part was chosen as the site ofExpo 67,aWorld's Fairon the theme ofMan and His World,or inFrench,Terre des Hommes.In preparation for Expo 67, the island was greatly enlarged and consolidated with several nearby islands, using earth excavated during the construction of theMontreal metro.The nearby island,Notre Dame Island,was built from scratch.

After Expo 67, the site continued to be used as a fairground, now under the nameMan and His WorldorTerre des Hommes.Most of the expo installations were dismantled and the island was returned to parkland.

Visitor attractions[edit]

Several important attractions are found on the island, including theSaint Helen Island Fort,theLa Rondeamusement park, theBiosphere(an interpretative museum about the Saint Lawrence River installed in the former American Pavilion from Expo), and an Aquatic Complex (French:Complexe aquatique de l'île Sainte-Hélène) that includes three exterior pools. The park is a primary recreational site for Montrealers and hosts frequent concerts and shows, including theL'International des Feux Loto-Québecinternationalfireworkscompetition and the annualOsheaga music festival.As of 2022, it will be the home of Lasso Montreal, a brand newcountry musicthemed festival that was originally intended to debut in 2020 but was postponed to 2022 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Montreal.[5][6][7][8]

During the summer season, on Sundays, electronic music fans can enjoy live DJs during the Piknic Elektronic event.[9]

Transportation[edit]

The island can be accessed by public transit, by car, by bicycle or by foot. TheConcordia Bridgelinks St. Helen's Island to Montreal'sCité du Havreneighbourhood on theIsland of Montrealas well as Notre Dame Island (which itself is connected toSaint-Lamberton thesouth shoreby bicycle paths). The island is also accessible via theJacques Cartier Bridgefrom both the Island of Montreal andLongueuilon the south shore. TheYellow Lineof the Montreal Metro has a stop on St. Helen's Island:Jean-Drapeaustation.

Gallery[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Thiessen, A. D. (1940). "The Founding of the Toronto Magnetic Observatory and the Canadian Meteorological Service".Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.40:308–348.Bibcode:1940JRASC..34..308T.
  2. ^"Montréal et ses plages: retour vers le futur"[Montreal and its beaches: Back to the future].journalmetro(in French). 31 December 2013.Retrieved21 February2020.
  3. ^Note:See alsoList of POW camps in Canada.
  4. ^Bernard, Yves & Bergeron, Caroline (1995).Trop loin de Berlin: des prisonniers allemands au Canada, 1939–1946.Les éditions du Septentrion. p. 18.ISBN978-2-89448-021-2.
  5. ^"LASSO FESTIVAL POSTPONED TO SUMMER 2021".Sound Check Entertainment.2020-06-11.Retrieved2022-05-22.
  6. ^"Osheaga, ÎLESONIQ and Lasso 2021 are cancelled".Cult MTL.2021-04-22.Retrieved2022-05-22.
  7. ^Communications, LASSO |."LASSO MONTREAL TO KICK OFF 1st EDITION WITH COUNTRY MUSIC'S BEST AND BRIGHTEST".newswire.ca.Retrieved2022-05-22.
  8. ^"Lasso Montréal – Festival de musique country".lassomontreal.Retrieved2022-05-22.
  9. ^"Picknic Électonik Montéal".piknicelelectronik.Retrieved21 February2020.

Sources[edit]

  • Young, Richard (1980),Blockhouses in Canada, 1749–1841: a Comparative Report and Catalogue.,Occasional Papers in Archaeology and History, Canadian Historic Site

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saint_Helen%27s_Island&oldid=1138173600"