Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue

Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Qué, Town, pop 5197 (2006c), 5062 (2001c), inc 1895. Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue is located on the western tip of Île de Montréal, about 35 km west of MONTRÉAL. Its shoreline, bathed by the waters of lakes Deux-Montagnes and Saint-Louis, has made the town popular for pleasure boating and yachting. The canal (1843) linking the two lakes is a national historic site and remains the busiest in the province.

The town took its name in 1878, the year it was incorporated as a village. The name Bellevue, which refers to the panoramic view from the western end of Île de Montréal, is reminiscent of the fief of Bellevue that was granted to two brothers, Louis and Gabriel de Berthé, in 1672.

The town's geographic location, close to the entrance of the Ottawa River and the Upper St Lawrence, made it an important river port, particularly during the FUR TRADE era. The well-known explorer and fur trader Simon FRASER lived here. His house is now a historic site. The town's importance continued during the TIMBER TRADE with the opening of a second lock of the canal in 1882. This industry flourished until the beginning of the 20th century.

Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue is now mainly a university town with Macdonald College and its experimental farm, as well as a CEGEP