LA PRÉSENTATION

That portion of the parish of Lachine which the Legi-lature of Quebec has lately incorporated under the name of the village of Dorval, is, without doubt, the most ancient and perhaps the most historical part of the whole island, outside of the site of the city of Montreal.

Champlain was the first European who, in 1611, went over the north shore of Lake St. Louis exploring from Lachine Rapids to the Lake of Two Mountains. He was unable to find a single habitation.

This locality was opened up to colonization about 1666, at the time that Cavelier de La Salle founded the village of Lachine, near the Canadian Pacific Bridge of our days. The three islands opposite bore the name of “Courcelles,” from M. de Courcelles, who first conceded them to Pierre Picoté de Bellestre. As the Seminary of St. Sulpice needed these islands to further the interests of the establishment commenced on the Island of Montreal, they secured their concession on the 9th January, 1673, with the assent of Picoté de Bellestre, in favor of M. de Fenélon, who at once opened up the clearing which is seen in the lower part of the largest of these islands, and completed the establishment commenced on the island of Montreal. This establishment consisted in a fief called at first “Gentilly” and later ‘ La Présentation,” of 19 arpents by 20, forming to-day, the lands situated between the heirs Herron aud Dosithée Legault dit Deslauriers inclusively. It was destined for the education of the Indian children, who up to that time lived at the Seminary of Ville Marie. On this fief, was constructed a wooden house, 53 feet long, with two cellars, one in masonry and the other in wocd, a stone chimney, cabanes or log chantiers, outhouses, a barn and two stables, covering 93 feet in

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length, a hencoop, etc,, the whole made of faced timber, piece over piece, covered with straw and enclosed with cedar posts. These buildings were constructed on the shores of Lake St. Louis, on t land now owned by Mr. Alexis Brunet, precisely at the spot where to day stand the summer residences of Mrs. Hamilton and Mr.W. F, Torrance, and formed what was called for nearly a century the “ Fort la Présentation.” One of the rooms in the house served as a chapel, dedicated to the myster y of the presentation of Mary in the Temple, and this name finaliy replaced that of “ Gentilly,” and was adopted for the whole locality comprised from the Liesse road to the Grand Anse. It is nesdless to say that no trace whatever remains of these buildings, which disappeard about the middle of the last century. A cross erected on or near Mr. W. F. Torrance’s lot, would indicate the precise spot of this first chapel, which served for the worship of the entire population of the upper part of the island until 1686.

On September 7, 1685, the Seminary ceded the domain of La Presentation and all its dependencies to Agathe de Saint-Perre, only daughter of poor Jean de Saint-Perre, who was kilied in 1657 by the Iroquois while he was roofing his house, at Grand Anse, near Point St. Charles. Complete possession was to be given and, in fact, was given at Easter, 1686. On November 26, 1685, Agathe de Saint-Perre married Pierre le Gardeur, sieur de Repentigny, and on January 29, 1691, the latter sold the fief La Presentation and the three islands to J. Bte. Bouchard dit Dorval. Hence the name of ‘ Dorval ” given to Courcelles Islands and that of ‘ Bouchard” to the small river La Presentation. For more than twenty-five years, the entire locality from this little river up to above the Island has been known under the name of ‘ Dorval.”

About 1705, Bouchard died insolvent, leaving creditors and heirs who became douairiers. The fort and two farms went to his son, J. Bte., and to his daughter Genevieve, and the remainder of the ff, with the three islands, to Charles de Couagne, one of the creditors, and finally to Noel Legault dit Deslauriers and Antoine Meloche, who were the auteurs of the present owners.

Among the first proprietors of La Présentation we find André Rapin, who was later on the surgeon of the ‘Fort Rolland,” Pierre Picoté de Bellestre, Jean Renault, Mathurin Parent, Jacques Morin, Pierre Mallet, Michel Préseau dit La Rivière

Chambly, Jean Prévost, André Michel dit St. Michel, Jean Le Roy, François Vinet dit Larente, René Cuillerier dit Léveillé, Pierre Tabault, Pierre Aymard, Louis Fortin, Antoine Blignaux dit Sansoucy and Michel André.

La Presentation Mission is the spot where M. F. de Fenélon, priest of the Seminary, retired in 1673, in consequence of a disagreement with M. le Comte de Frontenac.

It is from this spot of La Présentation that the colony of Lachine and that of Ste. Annes were served, by mission, until the wooden chapel was erected at the Lachine Fort in 1676 and even up to 1685, when the mission of Ste. Anne was erected into a parish. About that time, the curé of Lachine left La Presentation to go and live in the fort at Lachine. It appears that as early as the year 1667 mass was said at La Presentation, and often in those eariy days, one of the priests of Saint Sulpice would descend the river on Sunday, especially in summer, to hold service in the house of the sieur de La Salle, in 1666-69, or his purchaser Jean Millot, (1669 76), or in that of a settler named Jean Fournier. In 1673, M. de Fenélon became titulary missionary of La Présentation. Before that year, the missionary had made transient visits only. Faillon, vol. 3, pages 356-359 ; Les Anciens Forts de Lachine, page 5 (1).

(1) Since the printing of the french version, I have had a fresh opportunity of making a more minute examination of the registers of Lachine and St. Annes, to the time of the cession. The result is a few additions to the french version, which will be found in foot notes to the english version, The following note of Mr. Remy, first curé of Lachine, written at Easter of 1685 on one of the first pages of the oldest register of Lachine is of interest :

‘“ Premièrement, à s'est trouvé que cette coste avait été desservie par forme de mission par les prestres du Seminaire de Montréal pendant plusieurs années faute de chapelle et du nombre suffisant d'habitants pour former une cure, Après que la chapelle fust bastie par les soins qu'en prirent les prestres du dit Séminaire au moyen de la quête qu'ils en firent par toute la coste et notamment par les grands soins qu'en prist le sieur René Cullerier, marchand et habitant et le premier marguiller de cette paroisse, Monsieur Etienne Guyotte, a présent Curé de Vilmarie et qui desservait alors cette paroisse par forme de mission, fist la bénédiction de la dite chapelle le Jeudy Saint de l'année 1676, en vertu de la permission qui luy fust accordée par Messire François Le Febvre, pour lors supérieur du dit Séminaire et grand vicaire du dit Seigneur évêque.

“Le printemps suivant, la dite coste de Lachine fut érigée en paroisse par le dit seigneur evesque dans la visite qu'il fist en ce temps au Montréal, et par lettre missive qu'il écrivit et envoya au dit sieur Guyotte, il luy témoigna agréer, Suivant sa dévotion et celle des habitans de cette coste, les paroissiens, que cette église fut érigée sous le titre des Saints Anges, en attendant qu'il en donna ses lettres patentes en forme, Le dit sieur Guyotte, après avoir dessrvi cette paroisse l’espace de trois ans, fust obligé de faire un-voyage en France.

‘“Fuast mis en sa place M. Jean Fremont, prestre du dit Séminaire, par ordre

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