Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu

During the REBELLIONS OF 1837 it became a centre for the PATRIOTES who fought against and forced the retreat of Colonel Charles Gore's troops. In retaliation, the village was burned (see ST-DENIS, BATTLE OF).

Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu

 Saint-Denis, Qué, Municipality, pop 2243 (2006c), 2183 (2001c), inc 1903. Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu is located on Rivière RICHELIEU, 30 km northwest of SAINT-HYACINTHE. It took its name from the Saint-Denis seigneury, granted in 1694 to Louis de Gannes, Sieur de Falaise, and named in honour of his wife, Barbe Denis. In the early 19th century Saint-Denis was a major centre for grain shipments to Québec City. It also had business dealings with Montréal and was the fastest-developing centre in the lower Richelieu region. It was home to Canada's largest hat-making industry as well as to several craft and pottery workshops.

During the REBELLIONS OF 1837 it became a centre for the PATRIOTES who fought against and forced the retreat of Colonel Charles Gore's troops. In retaliation, the village was burned (see ST-DENIS, BATTLE OF). The development of the railway and the automobile caused Saint-Denis to decline as a commercial centre and become the centre of a thriving dairy industry.

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