TIMELINE OF MONTREAL
(With a occasional non-Montreal notes to help understand the time-frame)

This page is under MAJOR construction!

1534

• Jacques Cartier, makes his first voyage to New France, landing on the Gaspé peninsula, claiming possession in the name of France.

1535

• On Jacques Cartier's second voyage to New France he visits the Indian villages of Stadacona (Québec City) and Hochelaga (Montreal).

1642

• May 18 - Founding of Montreal by Paul de Chomedy de Maissoneuve.

1705

• The Chateau Ramsay is built

1709

• In New France, slavery becomes legal

1734

• "A Montreal slave named Marie-Joseph Angelique learns that she is to be sold to someone else. In an attempt to escape, she sets a fire in her mistress's house. The fire can not be contained, causing damage to half of Montreal. She is caught, tortured and hanged, bringing attention to the conditions of the slaves." See Canadian Black History

1754

• Bonsecours Church is destroyed by fire

1760

• Sept. 8 - The capitualtion of Montreal by the British Army
• Sept. 21 - Brigadier Gage is appointed Governor of Montreal

1761

• July 30 - William Bewen, accused of having intoxicated soldiers and of selling rum without licence, is found guilty, having been accessory to his associate, Isaac Lawrence, who has the habit of selling rum to the soldiers, - condemned to receive 200 stripes of the cat o'nine tails, and to be driven from the town at the beat of the drum.
• July 1 - Isaac Lawrence was similarily condemned.
• August 6 - Joseph Burgen, one of those who came following the army, is ccused and convicted for theft, and condemned to be hanged by the neck until death shall ensue. The general approved the sentence, but pardoned him on the condition that he left his government without delay.
• August 13 - George Skipper and Bellair, bakers, accused and arraigned by Captain Disney, for having sold bread, which had not the requesite weight. - acquitted.

1762

• July 26 - Governor Gage endeavors to arrange for the money exchange values. He orders that six livres tournois shall be equal to eight shillings, or ten sols of Montreal money.
• August 3 - Gage sees that different standards of measurements are being used, and to prevent frauds from slipping ino the commercial life of city, established that, in Montreal, the english standard yard measure should be used.
• October 8 - Gage has to settle the prices, which the bakers of the town should charge for various kinds of bread.

1765

• There are 136 Protestants in Montreal, and 500 in Canada
• March 22- The stamp Act is passed
• May 18 - A fire which started on St. Paul street destroys over 100 houses, rendering 215 families homeless

1766

• The Stamp Act is repealed
• Brigadier-General Carleton becomes Lieutenant-Governor

1769

• Many American merchants avoid business relations with British merchants.

1771

• Re-building of the old Bonsecours Church in Montreal (burned 1754) is begun.

1773

• The Fabrique of Montreal have a college for instructing youths in arithmetic, geography, English and Belles Lettres

1775

• April 19th- The American Revolutionary war begins at Lexington.
• May 1 - The bust of George III  in Place d'Armes, Montreal, is found defaced - adorned with beads, cross and mitre, with the words "Pope of Canada - Sot (fool) of England", in an act to denounce the Quebec Act  which guarantees the use of French language, culture and freedom of religion.  A reward of  500 guineas does not lead to apprehension of the culprit.
• June 9 - Martial Law is declared in Canada
• August 21 - Generals Schuyler and Montgomery, with 1,000 Americans come to Canada and invite the inhabitants to rebel.
• September 25  - attempting to take Montreal, Ethan Allen and many of his 150 followers are captured at Longue Pointe, and are sent to England.
• October 18 - The Americans capture Chambly
• November 12 - General Richard Montgomery  of the ..........tells Montrealers that, being defenceless, they cannot stipulate terms; but promises to respect personal rights. He demands the keys of public stores, and appoints 9:00 am tommorrow for the army's entrance, by the Recollet gate.
• November 13  - The Colonial Army invades Montreal and appropriates royal stores. Montgomery is joined by Benedict Arnold.

1776

• April 29 - American colonists, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Chase and the Jesuit Charles Caroll stay in Thomas Walker's house in Montreal while trying to gain support from Montrealers against the British.
• May - Benedict Arnold's force retreats from Montreal

With only 1765 soldiers remaining in Montreal, the colonial force was overcome by the British.
The remaining troops were forced to withdraw and in May of 1776,
after only a few months of Colonist occupation, the British gained back control of Montreal.

1778

• June 3 - The first issue of  the Gazette, the first newspaper in Montreal, was printed, in the Chateau Ramezay on Notre Dame street, by Fleury Mesplet, a former employee of  Benjamin Franklin

1782

• Councillor Finlay proposes to establish English schools in Canadian parishes, and to prohibit using the French language in the Law Courts after a certain time.

1783

• United Empire Loyalists settle in Canada
• The North-West Company of Montreal is formed.
• A lottery is started in Montreal, to defray the cost of a new gaol

1784

1785

• February - The Beaver Club is formed by members of the North West Company
• October 10 - A dark day. Candles are lighted at noon

1788

• The Montreal Gazette, formerly a French journal, appears in English.

1789

• Lord Grenville proposes that land in Upper Canada be held in free and common soccage, and that the tenure of  Lower Canadian lands be optional with the inhabitants.
• May 4 - The justices of the peace, who govern Montreal's affairs, order "the price and assize of bread, for this month" to be: "the white loaf of 4lbs. at 13d., or 30 sous", etc., and that bakers of the city and suburbs do conform thereto, and mark their bread with their initials.
• Dec. 20 - Christ Church opens for service.

1790

• Lower Canada is divided into three districts, instead of two..

1791

• Edmund Burke supports the proposed constitution for Canada, saying that:-"To attempt to amalgamate two populations, composed of races of men diverse in language, laws and habitudes, is complete absurdity. Let the proposed constitution be founded on man's nature, the only solid basis for an enduring government." Fox declares that England can retain Canada  "through the good will of the Canadians alone."
• May 8 - Members of the Presbyterian congregation of Montreal gather to elect a committee to discuss the building of  the first Presbyterian church in Canada, later, to be known as the St. Gabriel Street Church.

1792

• May 7 - Lower Canada is divided into 21 counties
• June - Of  50 members of the New assembly for Lower Canada, 15 are English.
• December 20 - a fortnightly mail is established between Canada and the United States.
• December - A bill to abolish slavery in Lower Canada does not pass.

1793

• July 9 - Importation of slaves into Canada is prohibited.

1794

1795

• A Canadian regiment is raised, but disbanded, owing to Britain's unfavourable experience of training colonists to use arms.

1796

• The Habeas Corpus Act is suspended in Lower Canada
• Attorney-General Sewell reports the District of Montreal satisfied with British rule, but that the French Minister to Washington deludes the people with the syatement that France had conquered Spain, Italy and Austria and will shortly attack Great Britain, through her colonies.
• The Montreal Library, the first public library in the city is founded.
• January - At a general election in Lower Canada, less than half the old members are returned. Some are defeated for preferring English as the language of Parliament.

1797

• January 18 - A weekly mail is established between Canada and the United States.
• January 18 - This notice appears in the Quebec Gazette: - "A mail for the upper counties, comprehending Niagara and Detroit, will be closed, at this office on Monday, 30th instant, at four o'clock in the evening, to be forwarded, from Montreal, by the annual winter express, on Thursday, 2nd February next."

1798

1799

• Citizens of Montreal petition to secure master's rights over slaves
• A measure respecting slavery in Lower Canada does not pass.
• Of twenty-one members of Council, in Lower Canada, six are French Canadians.
• The Court House is completed.
• Estimated population of Montreal is 9,000
• January 3 - Parliament appropriated #5,000 for a new Court House at Montreal

1800

1801

• An act is passed, providing for the removal of the walls around Montreal.
• Joseph Frobisher and others are incorporated to supply Montreal with water.

1802

• The King assents to the endowment of a college at Montreal
• The first unofficial cavalry corps was formed in Montreal
• Feb.10th - Alexander Mackenzie is knighted for his achievements in the North West

1803

• June - Christ Church destroyed by fire.
• Aug 2 - As result of the war between France and England, Canada renewed the Alien Act.*

1804

• There are 142 slaves in the District of Montreal and more than twice as many in the Province.
• Locks are placed at Coteau, Cascades and at Long Sault.

1805

1806

• The Canadian Courant and Montreal Advertiser are first issued
• Parliament orders the publisher of the Montreal Gazette to be arrested for censuring the majority's vote upon the Gaol.

1807

• An Act provides for a new Market House at Montreal.

1808

• Legal importation of slaves is banned.
• July 12 - 5 privates of the 100th Regiment , Montreal, charged with desertion and will be transported as felons to NSW for 7 yrs and then to serve as soldiers in that colony

1809

• August 17th - The foundation of  Nelson's monument is laid in Montreal.
• November 3 - John Molson's steam-boat "Accommodation" sails from Montreal to Quebec. It is 85 feet over all, has a 6 horse-power engine, makes the distance in 36 hours, but stops at night and reaches Quebec on the 6th. The "Accomodation" is the second steam-boat in America and probably in the world. The fare for an adult is  £2.10s.od =$10.

1810

• John Jacob Astor founds the Pacific Fur Company. (His great-grandson, John Jacob Astor IV died on the Titanic)
• January 18 - The mercury falls suddenly, from a little below temperate to below zero.
• November 26 - John Molson asks the exclusive right to construct and navigate steam-boats on the St. Lawrence for 15 years

1811

• Thibedeau & Co. aka Robertson & Co..........(Chronology p.74/75)

1812

• June 18 - The United States declares war against Great Britain over territorial disputes in Canada (War of 1812). There are 4,000 British troops in Canada. Four Canadian battalions are assembled.
• July 11 - U.S. troops invade Canada.
• August 20 - Launch of  Molson's second steamboat, the "Swiftsure", at Montreal

1813

1814

• The Treaty of Ghent ends the War of 1812  between the United States and Britain

1815

• A Montreal General Hospital will result from a society formed this year.
• March - Parliament votes #25,000 for a canal from Montreal to Lachine

1816

• population of Montreal is about 16,000
• The National School is opened
• May 14 - Thomas A. Turner and Robert Armour, Esq., are appointed Commissioners for the improvement of internal navigation between Montreal and Lachine, under the Provincial Act 48 George III,c.19.

1817

1818

1819

1820

• January 29 - Death of George III in the 60th year of his reign. Parliament is disolved
• June 18 - The Governor, Earl of Dalhousie arrives
• August 28 - The Montreal Bible Society is established

1821

• The Earl of Dalhousie presents Dalhousie Square to Montreal
• Union of the Hudson Bay Company and the North-West Company
• Population of Lower Canada is 397,600; of Upper Canada is 129,100
• March 17 - Act of incorporation of the Bank of Montreal passed
• March 31 - McGill College established by Royal Charter
• July 17 - the canal from Montreal to Lachine is begun
• July 19 - Coronation of George IV

1822

• Parliament grants #50,000 for the Chambly Canal, and #12,000 for the Lachine Canal
• opening of the British and Canadian School
• Montreal's popultion is 18,767
• April 23 - First meeting of the Committtee of Trade, Montreal
• March 8 - the first iron bridge is erected
• May 1 - The General Hospital building in Montreal is completed; Medical staff: Dr. John Stevenson, A.F. Holmes, William Robertson and William Caldwell

1823

1824

1825

• Opening of the Lachine Canal

1826

1827

1828

1829

1830

1831

1832

• Serious and fatal election riots in Montreal

1833

• February 6 - General Fast to mark the removal of cholera morbus
• July 14 - first communion services at Erskine Church
• August 18 - First Trans-Atlantic steamship SS "Royal William" steams from Pictou, N.S.

1834

• August 1  - slavery comes to an end in all British territories, including British North America

1835

• January - Lagauchetiere Street church opened (Erskine)

1836

• July 21 - First Railway in Canada opened - Laprairie to St. Johns

1837

• Britain refuses to grant more home rule in Canada which leads to the Rebellions of 1837
• general suspension of business during the Lower Canada Rebellion
• June 20 - Accession of Queen Victoria

1838

• The Custom House at Montreal is finished
• The governors of  New York and Vermont forbid interference with Canadian difficulties.
• The "Lord Sydenham" steamboat runs the Lachine Rapids
• November 3 - Second Rebellion in Canada
• December 13 - Sir John Colborne, Governor General, Messrs. Moffat, Stuart and Badgley go to England to represent British Canadian views.
• December 23 - Execution at Montreal of the rebels Cardinal and Duquet

1839

• February 15 - Chevalier DeLorimer and others who joined the Rebellion are executed.
• June 24 - Last meeting of the Committee of  Trade, forerunner of the Board of Trade
• September 26 - Canadian rebels are transported to New South Wales.
• October 19 - Hon. C. Thompson, Governor of  Upper and Lower Canada, arrives. It is determined that Upper and Lower Canada shall share revenue in the ratio of  2 to 3.

1840

• Peter McGill elected mayor of Montreal.
• Exports from Montreal #419,281
• The Act of Union combines Lower Canada and Upper Canada
• April 6 - First meeting to organize the new Board of  Trade, Montreal; Hon. Peter McGill in the chair. A committee is named to secure incorporation. Austin Culvillier is the chairman and James Holmes the secretary at #100 per annum for services, room, fuel and lights.
• May 6 - Postage stamps come into use
• August 19 - Lachine Rapids first navigated in a steamboat.
• November 15 - Erskine's Sabbath School first mentioned (J.C. Becket, Supt.)

1841

• Lower Canada becomes Canada East
• January - Provisional Directors of the Mercantile Library Association, Montreal, elected.

1842

• March 19  - The incorporation of the Montreal Board of Trade is proclaimed.

1843

• A Museum of the Geological Survey is begun at Montreal
• The Cornwall and Chambly canals are opened.
• Survey of the Boundary between the U.S. and Canada is begun.
• Joseph Bouret is elected Mayor of Montreal
• June 12 - Lord Metcalfe comes to Montreal

1844

• The Mercantile Library Association purchases the "Montreal Library".
• Government removes from Kingston to Montreal.

1845

• The Mechanics Institute, Montreal is incorporated
• James Ferrier is Mayor of Montreal
• Opening of the Candian Baptist College
• December  - John Dougall issues a specimin "Witness" newspaper

1846

1847

• The railway from Montreal to Lachine is opened.
• Desbarets & Derbishire start a glass factory at Vaudreuil
• Chloroform is first used in surgical operations
• January 30  - Lord Elgin, Governor, arrives at Montreal
• September 1  - Lord Egin visits the immigrant sheds at Point. St. Charles
• October 23  - 65 immigrants die in a week at Point St. Charles
• November 1  - 9,634 deaths of immigrants since January 1st.
• November  - Death of John E. Mills, mayor of Montreal

1848

• January 2  - Wellington and Commissioners streets, Montreal, flooded
• June  - Emulating the "Lord Sydenham's" success in 1838, several steamboats run the Lachine Rapids.
• July 5  - Run on the Savings Bank, Montreal, followed by re-deposit.
• August  - Rev. A. DeSola becomes Professor of Hebrew at McGill; H.A. Howe becomes Rector of the High School, Montreal
• September 20  - Opening of the Jesuits' College in Montreal
• December 22  - Close of navigation to Montreal
• Montreal's road bill is $26,950

1849

• Burning of the Parliament buidings in Montreal
• Beauharnois canal is opened
• Road expenditure of Monteal is $14,054
• E.R. Fabre is Mayor of Montreal
• April 25  - For sanctioning the Rebellion Losses Bill, Lord Elgin is mobbed and the Parliament House in Montreal is burned. Parliament will now sit alternately in Quebec and Toronto
• August  - Canada is to have 3 penny postage.
• August - The annexation movement, started in Montreal, is opposed in Toronto
• December 9  - Close of navigation from Montreal.

1850

• Riots, extensive fires and general depression
• Montreal's road expenditure $10,631 - least in 23 years
• Opening of the Ann Street School
• Value of Montreal's trade #1,793,695.
• January 17  - The Bar of Montreal dine Judge Merideth upon his removal to Quebec
• March 21  - First meeting of the Mount Royal Cemetery Company
• **March 21 Opening of Navigation to Montreal

1851

• Grand Trunk Railway Company formed
• Population of Montreal 57,715
• Charles Wilson, Mayor of Montreal, elected by the Council
• Hon. James Morris is the first Canadian Post-Master General
• July  - The bloomer costume appears in Montreal
• November 19 - First YMCA on the continent opened in Montreal
• December 6 - Close of Navigation to Montreal

1852

• Laval University is opened
• L'Institute Canadien, Montreal (founded 1844), is incorporated
• Hon. Charles Wilson is re-elected Mayor of  Montreal
• Opening of  the Panet Street School
• February  - The Mount Royal Cemetery Company buys grounds
• April 28 - Opening of navigation to Montreal
• July 8 - Beginning of a fire which burns 11,000 houses in Montreal
• October  - The Bank of Montreal issue's notes like England's - denomination watermarked
• October - A story appears in the Montreal Herald reporting of a soldier who scaled the Heights of Abraham; now living in Grey, Ontario, reputedly 115 years old.
• December 21  - Close of navigation at Montreal
• December  - In one day the sum of #5,000 is raised for a Merchants' Exchange in Montreal

1853

• The first screw steamer, up the St. Lawrence, arrives from Liverpool.
• Hon. C. Wilson is the last Mayor the Council of Montreal elect.
• The Montreal Board of Trade disfavour Caughnawaga, for the St. Lawrence terminus of a canal from Lake Champlain.
• February 23  - A description of the proposed bridge across the St. Lawrence is published.
• April 18  - Opening of Navigation at Montreal
• May  - Of #8,000,000 G.T.R. stock, the Rothchilds take an eighth.
• May 23  - First charter for steamers from Montreal to Great Britain
• June 9  - The Gavazzi riots with 40 killed maintain Montreal's early reputation
• June 18  - The G.T. Railway is opened to Portland
• June 26  - Investigation of the riot proceeds at Montreal.
• July 22 - Pier No.1, of the Victoria Bridge, is begun.
• October 8  - William Molson's Bank opens in Montreal, under the Free Banking Act.

1854

• Reciprocity between Canada and the U.S. is adopted
• Redpath's Sugar Refinery is established at Montreal
• Wolfred Nelson is the first Mayor the people of Montreal elect.
• L'Institut Canadien, of Montreal enters it's new building
• February  - On the acquittal of the Quebec rioter, Gavazzi's effigy is burnt
• March  - 2,000 miles of Railway under contract in Canada
• April 25  - Opening of navigation to Montreal
• May  - The new Montreal Post Office to have six delivery wickets
• May  - It is proposed to invite the Queen to Canada
• May 11  - First arrival from sea, at Montreal
• July - Six Nation Indians offer to fight the Queen's enemies anywhere
• July 20  - The first stone of the Victoria Bridge, across the St. Lawrence, is laid.
• August 1 - Messrs. Dorion, Holton, and Young are declared elected for Montreal.
• August 2  - First coffer-dam of Victoria Bridge ready for masonry.
• September 1  - Accounts may now be kept in $ or pounds. Decimal currency will probably be generally used from Jan.1st.
• September  - Torrance & Co.'s second anual sale of teas direct from China.
• October 16  - Twenty-one vessels in port at Montreal
• December 2  - Close of Navigation from Montreal

1855

• The Redpath Sugar Refinery starts
• The Mechanics' Institute building, Montreal, is opened.
• The Post Office at Montreal is completed
• Sir Edmund Walker Head is Governor of B.N.A.
• Hugh Allen and Andrew Allen establish the Montreal Ocean Steamship Company, with four steamships fortnightly.
• Feb 1  Money orders now issued in Canada
• April  Petition for a fixed seat in Parliament is signed
• April 19  Bank of Montreal's stock to be increased to $2,000,000
• April 27  Opening of navigation at Montreal
• May 19  The Molson's Bank is incorporated
• October 1 The Molson's Bank began business
• October 19  G.T. Railway open to Brockville
• November 25  Last clearance from Montreal, for the sea.
• December 3  Navigation closes at Montreal

1856

• The citizens of Montreal elect Henry Starnes Mayor
• Montreal's Water Works made ready for use
• The Treaty of Paris ends the Crimean War
• The Allan's four steamships, between Montreal and Liverpool bring 3,031 passengers, Westward (average voyage 13 days)
• April 24  - Navigation opens to Montreal
• June 9  - Twenty-six vessels in port at Montreal
• September 16  - Baloon ascension from Griffintown, in the "Canada"
• October 27  - Opening of the G.T.R. to Toronto
• November 20  - 200 citizens of Quebec dine Hugh Allen
• November 24  - Last clearance from Montreal for the season
• December 3 - Close of navigation from Montreal
• December 10  - Burning of Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal

1857

• April 18  - Opening of navigation at Montreal
• June 13  - 26 ocean steamships at Montreal today
• June 26 - Fire onboard the steamer "Montreal" en route from Quebec to Montreal - 253 lives lost.
• August  - The lack of decimal coinage, for use in January, is noticed
• September 7  - 500 of the 39th Regiment leave Montreal, possibly for the Crimea
• December 13  - Close of navigation in the Port of  Montreal

1858

• Formation of the Royal Canadian Regiment
• Delegates go to England to promote confederation
• The Natural History Society's Building in Montreal is completed
• The Merchants' Exchange Building in Montreal is finished
• C.S. Rodier is elected Mayor of Montreal.
• January 5  - J.J.C. Abbott buys the Montreal Bytown Railway for #5,300
• January 10  - "One of thirty" gives #100, for a Juvenile Reformatory in Montreal
• January 27  - The Queen names Ottawa the seat of the Government
• January 28 - Dorcas Society of the United Presbyterian Church is founded
• February 6  - Reports upon site for Christ Church Cathedral
• February 20  - In Griffintown, beds stand in three feet of water
• January 30  - First ship from sea in port of Montreal
• August 16  - An Act to abrogate the Usury Laws of Canada is sanctioned, allowing Banks to exact 7%; it permits individuals to bargain for interest at any rate per cent.
• November 20  - The last ship leaves Montreal for the sea.

1859

• Montreal real estate assessed, $26,812,290; revenue $286,252
• Montreal O.S.S. Co. bring 1,882 cabin and 2,941 steerage passengers
• April 4 - Opening of  Navigation at Montreal
• December 11  - Close of Navigation from Montreal
• December 12  - The Victoria Bridge opened
• December 17  - The first passenger train passes through the Victoria Bridge

1860

• Montreal's real estate valued $27,649,550; revenue $316,323
• 240 Ocean ships of 118,216 tons burthen trade to Montreal
• February 20  - The wreck of the Allen Line steamship S.S.Hungarian with a number of  Montrealers on-board
• April  - Hon. A.T. Galt's proposed Bank of Issue excites interest
• April 10  - Opening of navigation at Montreal
• April 23  - Formation, in Montreal, of an Art Association
• May  - Construction of Montreal's Crystal Palace;  J.W. Hopkins, architect.  Both in respect of it's beautiful design and of the celebrity with which it carried to completion, it is most credible to it's designer.
• August 25  - The Prince of Wales visits Montreal. The Prince holds a reception in Hon. A.T. Galt's mansion at Sherbrooke.
• August 25 - Opening of the Victoria Railway Bridge.
• September 28  - Death of Hon. Peter McGill
• November 27  - Opening of Christ Church Cathedral in Montreal
• December 7  - Close of  navigation in Montreal.

1861

• First street railway in Montreal and in Toronto
• Population of Montreal, with suburbs 101,602;  of the city only, 91,169.; Montreal's increase in 30 years - 76%.
• January 9  - Civil war begins in the United States
• January  - British troops ordered to Canada
• January 18  - A meeting in Montreal, respecting extradition of  John Anderson, a slave charged with murder, is addressed by Hon. Messrs. Dorion, Drummond  and Holton,  Revds. W. Bond,  Cordner, Benjamin Holmes  and  John Dougall,  Esqrs., and  Dr. Hingston, and opposes surrender.
• February  - John Anderson not to be surrendered, without instructions from England.
• April  - The American Civil War begins
• April 15  - Great inundation at Montreal
• April 24  - Opening of navigation to Montreal.
• June 13  - Prince Alfred arrives in Montreal.
• June  - John Anderson, the fugitive slave, reaches England
• June 6 - Formation of the Canada Presbyterian Church by fusion of the Free Church and the United Presbyterian body.
• July  - Montreal's M.P.P.s are Messrs. McGee, Rose and Cartier
• December  - Six steamers chartered to bring troops to Canada
• December 22  - Close of navigation from Montreal.

1862

• Numismatic and Antiquarian Society formed at Montreal
• J.L Beaudry is elected Mayor of  Montreal
• The Corn Exchange of Montreal is organized
• Montreal Sailor's Institute founded
• Ocean steamers trading to Montreal have increased from 5,545 tons in 1854, to 62,912; other ocean vessels from 58,416 to 195,348 tons.
• January  Military companies organizing throughout Canada
• January 4  Victoria Bridge is guarded tonight, to prevent it's destruction, threatened from the U.S.
• January  Lord Monck expects Canadians to wear mourning for Price Albert who died December 14th.
• April 2  By-law to establish a Fire Department in Montreal
• April 5  Opening of navigation
• April 28  The "Shandon" reaches Montreal
• May 20  The Montreal Waterworks are commenced
• May 24  Ministry gazetted: Hon. J.S. MacDonald,  L.V. Sicotte, J. Morris,  A.A. Dorion,  M.H. Foley,  W. McDougall,  W.P. Howland, N.J. Tessier, T.D. McGee, F. Evanturel, A. Wilson and  J.J.C. Abbott, Q.C., solicitor general for Lower Canada
• August 28th  Burial at St. Andrew's, of Simon Fraser, discoverer of  the Fraser river.
• December 7  Close of navigation from Montreal

1863

• Bounties for U.S. recruits and substitutes often rech $2,000, inducing kidnapping and contraventions of the -British Foreign Enlistment Act, for which heavy bail is exacted. The bonds are estreated, with profit to the Canadian Treasury.
• Ship-building at Montreal $150,000 in value.
• For 16 yrs Montreal's harbour has been open an average of 238 days: shortest season 224, longest 252 days.
• A report on the Ottawa and French River Project shows, Chicago to Liverpool, 760 miles less, by Montreal, than by New York.
• The Montreal Corn Exchange is incorporated this year. - T. Cramp, President, H. Lyman, Vice President, and D.A.P. Watt, Treasurer of the Board of Trade, Montreal.
• Daily capacity of Montreal's water-works increased from 5 to 9 million gallons by a new turbine wheel.
• Eight floating elevators at Montreal discharge hourly 24,000 bushels
• Houses built this year in Montreal - 736;  in 8 years - 4,014.
• Montreal's real estate assessed at $34,832,930;  revenue $406,532.
• January 19  Fire Alarm established in Montreal
• April 25  Opening of navigation to Montreal
• May 12  Protestant House of  Refuge in Montreal incorporated.
• June 13  Eighty-six vessels in port at Montreal
• November 20  Death of Lord Elgin, formerly Governor of Canada
• December 12  Close of navigation from Montreal

1864

• Buildings erected in Montreal - 1,019.
• Since 1840 Montreal has expended $1,724,502 on roads.
• The City Passenger Railway, Montreal, has 10 miles of track, $240,000 paid capital and carries 1,485,725 passengers at 5 cents each.
• Power derived from the Lachine Canal only 5.124 horse power. It is estimated that nearly a thousand times that power runs to waste at Lachine Rapids.
• Ocean-going vessels at Montreal at one time - 82.
• Gold medals named after Anne Molson, Shakespeare anf Sir W. Logan are founded as prizes for McGill College students.
• The Montreal Ocean Steamship Line brings 10,425 passengers from Europe, in an average trip of  12 days and 19 hours.
• April 13  Navigation opens at Montreal
• April 21  In a published letter T.D. McGee says of Fenianism:- "Even the threat of assassination, covertly conveyed, and so eminently in keeping with the entire humbug, has no terrors for me. I trust I shall outlive these threats.
• June 9  Absorption of short railways declared dangerous to trade.
• June 28  repeal of the U.S. Fugitive Slaves Act.
• September  Confederation under discussion; some prefer Union, as tending to community of sentiment.
• September 21  Six companies of Scots Fusilier Guards leave Montreal. Present : Col Dyde, Col. Routh, Major Heward, Major Lyman, and Brigade Major McPherson.
• October  C.J Brydges passes Confederation delegates over the G.T.R.
• October 29  Photographer J.G. Parks opens his business in Montreal.
• November 10  Continued examination of raiders at Montreal.
• November 30  Hon. A.T. Galt addresses his constituents on Confederation.
• December  Mr. Hodges, who helped to build Victoria Bridge is pressing Bulstrode peat into bricks, which burn well.
• December  Close of navigation at Montreal.  A committee of the Chamber of Commerce, New York, favours continued reciprocity because it has increased trade to $300,000,000 since 1854. They desire free navigation of the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes.

1865

• Canadian Banks can now stipulate any rate of interest.
• The Parliament of Upper and Lower Canada favors Confederation.
• Increased intercolonial trade is expected to follow Reciprocity, as it is, this year, over half a million less than in the year before the treaty.
• The Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada is Incorporated.
• The Board of Trade Building erected in 1855 is burned.
• William Robb, future treasurer of Montreal enters Montreal's employ.
• The Elizabeth Torrance Gold medal for McGill students is founded.
• April 10  Opening of navigation at Montreal.
• July 11-14  Convention at Detroit to promote a new Reciprocity treaty. Montrealers attend, but only to give desired information. The Convention passes resolutions favouring a new Reciprocity treaty.
• September 27  Delegation to Montreal to form an Intercolonial Board of Trade.
• December 3 Church of the Gesu opened.
• December 16  Close of navigation at Montreal.

1866

• The Montreal Ocean S.S. Co.'s 9 steam-ships are of 20,152 tons register.
• The International Bank and the Bank of Upper Canada disappear from official returns. The Union Bank and the -Mechanics Bank is listed.
• The U.S. dollar is worth 96 cents.
• Tonnage trading to Montreal - 199,053.
• The tax-payerselect Henry Starnes to be Mayor of Montreal.
• The Montreal Glass Co., at Hudson, makes chimneys, bottles and insulators.
• British and Canadian School is transfered to the Protestant School Board
• March 13  The Prince of Wales Regiment and Battery of Artillery leave Montreal to repel Fenian invaders.
• March 17  The Reciprocity Treaty terminates
• April 18  Opening of navigation at Montreal.
• April 29 The second building of Erskine Church is opened at the corner of Peel and St. Catherine streets
• July 18  The 47th Regiment reaches Montreal from Kingston.
• October 30  Dinner for Sir George Cartier at Montreal.

1867

• Canada East becomes the Province of Quebec
• First successful Atlantic cable is laid
• The Montreal Presbyterian College is organized and lectures are started at Erskine Church
• The Canadian Bank of Commerce is listed.
• The Commercial Bank incorporated with the Merchants Bank.
• January 11 Fenians sentanced at Toronto
• March  Corner stone of St. Patrick's Hall, Montreal, laid
• March 29  The B.N.A. Act to confederate the Provinces passes the Imperial Parliament.
• April 22  Late opening of navigation at Montreal
• July 1 The Dominion of Canada is formed by the confederation of several provinces
• August 1  The 25th Regiment leaves Montreal.
• September 3  The 69th Regiment arrives in Montreal.
• November 4 Parish Church, Montreal, struck by lightning.
• November 6  The Parliament of the Dominion first meets.
• November 18 Sir John Rose becomes Minister of  Finance
• December 6  Close of navigation at Montreal.

1868

• September 11 His Lordship Bishop Fulford, the first Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Montreal, died at his residence after a painful illness, and was buried in Mount Royal Cemetery.

1869

• Red River Rebellion

1870

• Second Fenian Raid

1871

1872

• November 21 the ceremony of formally presenting to the city the statue of Our Gracious Majesty the Queen was performed by Lord Dufferin, the Governor-General.

1873

• Sir George E. Cartier died in London, and his funeral in Montreal was the largest ever seen in the city. The expenses of his obsequies were borne by the Dominion Government.

1874

• May - YWCA organized in Montreal

1875

• The Guilbord burial case occasioned some ill feeling in Montreal, but by the energetic action of Dr. Hingston, the Mayor, all passed off withought any actual disturbance.
• Hockey - the game we know today, was first played in Montreal in 1875, according to rules devised by J G A Creighton, a McGill student.
• June 15 - Formation of the Presbyterian Church in Canada

1878

• November The Marquis of Lorne and the Princess Louis..........

1879

1880

1881

1882

1883

1884

1885

• summer - The Small-Pox epidemic was of such..........

1886

1887

1888

1889

1890

• Incorporation of Cote St. Antoine

1891

1892

• "Up to 1892 Justices of the Peace had the authority to impose a six-month jail term on anyone carrying a handgun, if the person did not have reasonable cause to fear assault against life or property. In 1892 the first Criminal Code required individuals to have a basic permit, known as a ‘certificate of exemption,’ to carry a pistol unless the owner had cause to fear assault or injury" see History of Firearms Control in Canada
• February 1  The Hon. James McShane is re-elected Mayor of Montreal
• February 21  Death of Bishop Oxenden, formerly Anglican Bishop of Montreal
• March 8 The followers of Hon. H. Mercier are defeated at the Polls by large majorities. Montreal elects only Conservatives, Hon. J.S. Hall and Messrs. Martineau, Auge, Parizeau, Morris and Kennedy, with majorities from 132 to 2,307.
• March 14 The Montreal Star proposes a coalition of "honest man" regardless of party, at Quebec
• March 22 Thirty policemen leave Montreal to protect Canadian Pacific Railway property from strikers.
• March 28 Publication of the late J.W. Tempest's will, bequeathing the Art Association of Montreal about $80,000
• The seven largest individual holders of stock.................
• April 2 Secret Cleege Societies are condemed at the McGill Convocation
• April 3 Following three incendiary fires, today, Bonscecours Market, Montreal, is on fire. Loss $20,000 without insurance. Many fireman are, with difficulty, saved from suffocation.
• Value of Canada's registered shipping $32,510,775
• April 9 Charles Glackmeyer, for 40 years Montreal's City Clerk, dies
• April 12 Navigation at Montreal is 5 days earlier than last year
• April 28 Many heads of Jewish families, from Russia, leave Montreal to colonize the North-West
• May 18 On behalf of the Board of Trade...................
• May 20 Hon. John Hall's ............
• May 24 Hon. J.J.C. Abbott, Prime Minister, Premier Mowat and Chief Justice Lacoste are to be knighted
• June 28- July 1st  The Second Congress of Chambers of Commerce of the Empire, held in London, England, at which Sir Donald A. Smith and Peter Redpath, Esq., represent the Montreal Board of Trade, while favouring closer commercial relations between the Mother Country and dependencies, regards preferential protection as impolitic and inconsistent with the principals of economy.  The Congress favors an Imperial Commercial Code, higher commercial education, decimal money, common weights and measures, and penny postage through the Empire.
• July - Sir Donald Smith desires the inauguration of the Royal Hospital (costing Lord Mount-Stephen and himself $1,000,000) to be a simple taking of possession by the lame and the sick, for whom it is intended.
• July 4 Hon. Edward Blake reaches Ireland, of which he intends to represent a consituency in the Imperial Parliament.
• July 5 Sir William Dawson welcomes the Teacher's Association at Montreal
• July 12 Cyrus Field, projector of the Atlantic cable, dies
• July 15 Montreal's subscriptions to assist St. John's Newfoundland amount to $25,809. Two-thirds of St. John's  had been burned on July 8th. - Loss $20,000,000, Ten Thousand homeless
• July 19 Montreal grants thirty years' franchise to the Street Railway Company
• July 23 Death of  Rev. Benjamin Dawson of Montreal, aged 88 years. He founded the book-store known as "Dawson Bros."
• July 26 The French-Canadian population in the U.S. is estimated at 800,000
• August 2The 400th anniversary of Columbus setting sail to discover America
• August 18- Under the Presidency of D.A. MacPherson, members of the Corn Exchange of  Montreal visit Vaudreuil.
• September 14- It is noted that there have been, in all this year, 5 cases of Asiatic cholera in New York City. In Hamburg there are 689 new cases and 203 deaths.
• August 29 Sir Henry Tyler, having inspected the Grand Trunk Railway, does not regret outlays amounting to $6,250,000 for improvements.
• September 20- Witnesses at the Royal Commission............
• September 20- The steamer "Corinthian" burns above Lake St. Louis; the officers and men display great courage and presence of mind.
• September 22 - Before the Royal Commission, James Crossley of the Gazette, George Hague, Esq., of the Merchant's Bank, and W.C. Munderloh, German Council, disfavour prohibition.
• September 22 - Speaking at Montreal, Hon. Neal Dow of Portland, father of the Maine Liquor Law, estimates the United States' annual direct loss, through the liquor trade, at $1,200,000,000.
• October 25 W.B Jeffries, stockholder in the Grand Trunk Railway, favours rebuilding the Victoria Bridge.
• October 27 J.A. Langois, stationer, exlplains transactions with the Government which are alleged to have been in fraud of the public.
• November 1- Cattle on the S.S. Huronia are slaughtered at Dundee, as infected with pleuro-pneumonia
• November 3 Dr. McEachran denies the presence of disease in Canada
• November 19 The Bank of Montreal, during the Presidency of Sir Donald Smith, and early in the management of  E.C. Clouston, becomes the Dominion's financial agent in England.
• November 23 It is not safe for ships to remain in the St. Lawrence, after this date, owing to removal of  buoys and lights.
• November 25 Sir J.J.C. Abbott's ill health having compelled his resignation, Sir John Thompson is sworn in as Prime Minister
• November 30 The Montreal Board of Trade protests against Civil Contracts without tenders.
• November 30 The Board of  Trade of Montreal deprecates a tax upon transfers of real estate, as falling mainly upon Montreal, where the land market is active, and suggests that every acre in the country should assist in bearing public burthens.
• December 16th Founding of the Montreal Women's Club
• December 30 The ice-bridges to Montreal are being made passible
• Montreal merchants represent their grievances under the new tax law.
• December 31 Montreal's past year expediture on roads was $959,866.79
• December 31 There have been 1,688 insolvencies with $13,766,191 of liabilities in Canada in twelve months.
• December 31 Montreal's entire contribution to the sufferers by fire in St. John's Newfoundland is $40,094.33

1893

• The Montreal Amature Athletic Association is the first Hockey team to win the newly donated Stanley Cup

1894

• The Montreal AAA win the Stanley Cup
• The name of Cote St. Antoine is officially changed to Westmount
• Elizabeth Binmore is the first woman graduate of McGill University to obtain the degree of  M.A

1895

• The Chateau Ramsay is turned into a museum
• The Montreal Victorias win the Stanley Cup

1896

• The Montreal Victorias win the Stanley Cup

1897

• The Montreal Victorias win the Stanley Cup

1898

• The Montreal Victorias win the Stanley Cup

1899

• The Montreal Shamrocks win the Stanley Cup
• October 30 - The First Canadian Contingent of the Boer War, sets sail to South Africa on the Sardinian, of the Allan Line, bearing Canada's initial quota of fighting men, including the men of  "E Company" of Montreal

1900

• The Montreal Shamrocks win the Stanley Cup

1901

1902

• The Montreal AAA win the Stanley Cup

1903

1904

1905

1906

• The Montreal Wanderers win the Stanley Cup

1907

• The Montreal Wanderers win the Stanley Cup

1908

• The Montreal Wanderers win the Stanley Cup

1909

• March 17 Run-away Train crashes into Windsor Station
• December 4 Montreal Canadiens are founded (http://www.sportreal.com/habs/timeline.htm) http://canadiens.11net.com/history/timeline.html

1910

• January 1- The "Club de Hockey Canadien" (Montreal Canadiens) is formed by J. Ambrose O'Brien
• The Montreal Wanderers win the Stanley Cup

1911

1912

• Calvary Congregtional Church and Bethlehem Congregational Church unite under the Calvary name
• April 15 The sinking of the steamship Titanic with a number of  Montrealers on-board
• September 3 Jack Haney on the "The first Trans-Canada Auto trip" (Halifax: August 27, 1912 to Victoria: October 17, 1912) arrives in Montreal  http://www.ednet.bc.ca/autotour/index.html http://www.ednet.bc.ca/autotour/diary.htm
• December 31 Ritz Hotel opens in Montreal

1913

• May 29 - The sinking of the steamship Empress of Ireland with a number of  Montrealers on-board

1914

1915

• May 7 - The sinking of the S.S. Lusitania with a number of Montrealers on-board.

1916

• March 1 - Fire burns the Grand Trunk Railway Station
• March 30 - The Montreal Canadienes win their first Stanley Cup

1917

1918

1919

1920

1921

1922

1923

1924

1925

• June 10 - The Methodist churches, Congregational churches, and a large portion of the Presbyterian churches join to form the United Church of Canada

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