Montreal was officially founded in 1642. A small group of fervent French, under the leadership of Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, set up in the island. Their aim was to convert the Indians to Christianity. But the next year, the Iroquois began to attack the small city. The Indian raids ceased in 1701 when many tribes signed the “Great Peace Treaty of Montreal”.
The city evolved under the French administration. The main activity was the fur trade, a very lucrative activity. In 1759, Quebec City fell under the British power and the next year, Montreal surrendered without a single shot. The French authorities left the country. The French traders and merchants could not sell anything anywhere. The Scots came, some with money, but all of them bold and daring and with every possible opportunity to trade in the whole British Empire. And so they did.
The City evolved following the modern inventions. While the fur trade was still flourishing, all kinds of trades were possible because of the British Empire. The possibility to build higher changed the look of the City. Electricity, transportation, trains, boats, they all helped to adapt the city to the changing world.
Luckily the Old Montreal Port was preserved in its original state because the city-center moved gradually to the North, mainly on Sherbrooke Street. Montrealais and tourists are thus happy to visit an environment full of yesterday life and history, partly French, partly English and a mixture of both.
