THE SETTLEMENT OF POINTE CLAIRE

| l: The colonization of Pointe Claire was s0 rapid that a few years | later, all the river lots were occupied. On the 15th July, 1706,

1 intendant Raudot gave orders for the opening of a front road

Lil along the river’s edge from La Presentation to the upper extre- L |! mity of the island ; but Robillard, Brunet, Laviolette, Laplaine (f

and several other inhabitants having neglected to comply with

(1) In the baptism of his daughter, Clémence at Lachine, 4th November, 1681, - | he is described ‘habitant du haut de l'Isle de Montréal,” probably on fief

Bellevue. The register of St. Louis for 1709, says that Jean Guenet is ‘habitant Ft de cette paroisse.”

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the requirements of this ordinance, the intendant reenacted the same on the 11th June, 1707. Every inhabitant, from La Présentation to the extremity of the island, was reordered to ‘ keep the roads along their abodes, to clean the same, remove trees therefrom, and construct the bridges, necessary to render them passable ” ; the whole under a penalty of ten livres payable to the parishes of Lachine and St. Louis. Guenet (the proprietor ‘of Beaurepaire), was given special charge of the-execution of this ordinance. Ædits et Ord, vol. 3, p. 417.

The names of the first settlers of Pointe Claire are to be found in one of the tableaux contained in the appendix.

The parish of Pointe Claire was civilly erected only in the autumn of 1713; and the following year, 1714, the register of baptisms contains the entry of twenty-two births.

It included then all thé lands on the river front, from that of Nap. Valois to the Herron estate, at Dorval, inclusively, besides the lower portion of Isle Perrot. The limits were still the same in 1722, at the time of the 'passing of the arrét of the King's State Council in relation to parishes in new France. Côte des Sources or St. Rémi, is mentioned, but Côle St. Charles leading to, day to Beaconsfield :station and Stè Geneviève, is merely pointed out as ‘“ a new côte as yet unnamed ” (1).

ST. ANNES.

The upper part of Isle Perrot belonged to St. Annes (2). Its present boundaries existed at that time, with the exception of Côte St Marie (3). The curé was also missionary of ‘the mis- “ sion of the Nepissing Indians established on Zsle aux Tourtres” as well as ‘the fiefs, (Seigniories is the proper term) of Vau- “ dreuil and Soulanges, situated opposite the upper extremities ‘ of the said Isle Perrot and the island of Montreal.” The same arrêt (3rd March, 1722) grants the inhabitants of said fiefs permission to build a chapel ‘b:tween the two fiefs” wherein the

(1) Côte St. Jean is not mentionned.

(2) In the year 1711, this parish was still called ‘ St, Louis-du-Bout-du-l'Isle.’ But in 1713, it was known under the name of ‘Ste Anne-du-Bout-de-l'Isle.” Régistres de Ste Anne. The registers for 1712 and 1713 are missing.

S (3) From the date of its erection in 1685 to the time of the erection ofthe parish .

of Pointe Claire, St. Annes extended to the present site of the village of Pointe Claire.

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curé of St. Annes shall say mass once a month. Ædits et Ord. vol. ler, p. 443,

In 1722, St. Annes was therefore the most remots parish on the north shore west of Montreal.

Chateauguay was the last mission on th- south shore, and was administered by the mi-sionary of Sault St. Louis. In 1784, the Sault was served by Mr. Ducharme, curé of Lachine.

As already seen, the parish of Pointe Claire is younger than the sister pari hes of Lachine and St Annes. It soon became the most important. During the military period, from the 17th October, 1761, to the 10th August, 1764, Pointe Claire became the headquarters of the first judicial district, containing the parishes from Sault-au-Récollet, St. Laurent and Lachine as far as Cedars. In 1784, St. Annes was served partly by Pointe Claire and partly by St Geneviève. Pointe Claire counted at that time eight hundred communicants, whilst there were but three hundred at Lachine. Census of Bishop Briant, 1784, Report of Bremner for 1889, p 41. In the same yeur 1784, the mission of the Congregation of Notre Dame, at Lachine, was transferred to Pointe Claire, ‘ the population of Lachine having

diminished instead of increasing.” Les Anciens Forts Le Lachine, p. 10.