Village Histories
Baie d'Urfé
Baie d’Urfé was named for François Saturnin Lascaris d'Urfé, a missionary priest of noble French lineage who came to New France in 1668. Its early days were marked by ever-present danger and death from Iroquois raids. Only in the peace of the early 18th century were the inhabitants able to change the land they had been granted by the Sulpicians from wilderness to farmstead.
Beaconsfield
Created in the late 19th century, Beaconsfield was incorporated in 1912 as a separate municipality from the Parish of Pointe-Claire. It was named after Queen Victoria's favourite verbal sparring partner, the Earl of Beaconsfield. It attracted Montreal's financial magnates and they built baronial summer homes all along its beautiful waterfront, as well as in the more northerly segment near the train station.
Beaurepaire
Today's demure village of Beaurepaire gives little hint of its romantic past. Named for the castle of Blancheflor in the Arthurian legend, the seigneurie was granted to Jean de Guenet in 1678. The first house built there was believed to have served as an illicit fur trading post. After Guenet's death, the property was sold to Amable Curot. In 1770, he had a much larger house constructed which incorporated the first foundations. That house still exists today.
Dollard-des-Ormeaux
In 1924, land owners from the plateau of côte Saint-Rémi (des Sources) and côte Saint-Jean were unhappy because they felt they did not benefit enough from the money they paid to the Municipality of Ste-Geneviève. They formed a new municipality which they named Dollard-des-Ormeaux after the young Montrealer who died at Long-Sault in 1660.
Dorval
In 1672, the Sulpician Fénelon established an estate which included «the islands of Courcelles (Dorval, Bushy and Dixie) and a large quadrilateral cut out from the mainland» The purpose of this farm was to settle the island of Montréal and evangelize the natives. But it was not successful and the estate was ceded by exchange to Agathe Saint-Perre in 1685. She, in turn, sold it to Jean-Baptiste Bouchard Dorval in 1691.
Île-Bizard
What distinguishes the history of Île-Bizard granted to Jacques Bizard in 1678? “The garden of Montréal” in the 19th century, it has welcomed great people who have resided here such as Denis-Benjamin Viger, former patriot leader and co-president of the Executive Council of Canada. Thanks to a 1843 inheritance, he became the last seigneur of the island. The island has also watched log booms floating by, wooden rafts steered by courageous men which halted at Pointe-aux-Carrières on the way to Québec City.
Kirkland
Church or state? In 1960, the municipal Council had to choose between two names for their new town: Léger, in honour of Cardinal Paul-Émile Léger or Kirkland after their MNA, Charles A. Kirkland (father of Claire Kirkland-Casgrain).
Pointe-Claire
« this headland which juts out in the heart of Lac Saint-Louis is prolonged by a small peninsula…which holds on to the shore by only a narrow band of land… The absence of trees allows one to see clearly from one end to the other ». In 1698, the Sulpician seigneurs set aside the pointe and had a fortified windmill built in 1709. A hamlet developed beginning in 1729 with the construction of a wooden fort. In 1756, the Sulpicians mandated the surveyor Joseph Raymond to produce the first plan of 74 lots to officialize the village of la pointe claire.
Roxboro
Roxboro was formed following negotiations between an American property developer and the provincial government. Indeed, in 1914, the New-York businessman John Mullarkey started Remi Realty Co. and secured a municipal charter for the 408 acres of land he had acquired. Roxboro, with a population of 19, was thus created by splitting the Ste-Geneviève Parish territory. Its name probably recalls the neighbouring quarries (rocks + borough).
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue owes its name to a miracle. In 1712, while riding in a severe snow storm, Father de Breslay fell and broke his leg when his horse bolted. He vowed to build a chapel dedicated to Ste-Anne if he survived this dangerous situation. The next day, he woke up in his bed, under a doctor’s care, unaware of how he got there.
Sainte-Geneviève et Pierrefonds
Do you know why Ste-Geneviève is surrounded by Pierrefonds? The parish of Ste-Geneviève was founded in 1739 and then divided in 1859. The area closest to the church became the Municipality of the Village of Ste-Geneviève while the rest of the territory kept the name of Municipality of the Parish of Ste-Geneviève. One hundred years later, the Municipality of the Village became the City of Ste-Geneviève and the Parish Municipality became the City of Pierrefonds. Thus Ste-Geneviève became encircled by Pierrefonds. The name Pierrefonds comes from the notary J.-A. Chauret. He admired the castle of the French commune of the same name. As for Ste-Geneviève, that name was chosen by the Sulpicians to honour the Patron Saint of Paris.
Senneville
Commerce played a prominent role in the development of Senneville. At the end of the 19th century, prosperous businessmen chose it as the location of their summer residences. They thus followed in the footsteps of the rich Montréal merchant Jacques LeBer. Around 1700, LeBer had a fortified trading post built at Senneville which he named in memory of a village near his hometown.
