On the afternoon of May 24, 1876, a parade wound through the streets of Montreal and up toward the base of the mountain. Meteorological records are scant this far back, but late May generally brings comfortable spring weather. There were speeches, cannon fire, and a grand picnic lunch laid out in the open air. Mount Royal Park—200 hectares of forested hillside acquired by the city at a cost of over a million dollars and designed by the most celebrated landscape architect in North America—was inaugurated.
And on the very day of the inauguration, city council approved the construction of a funicular railway, a steam-powered shortcut to the summit that would, within a decade, whisk impatient Montrealers directly to the top in a matter of minutes.
For readers who care about Montreal
Create a free account to read this story and access 3 articles per month, plus our weekly Bulletin.
Comments
1Welcome to The Main's comments section!
Share your thoughts and join the conversation. Please be respectful and constructive.
All Comments
Spent a lot of my youth in the late 60's and early 70's on the mountain. Riding my bike thru the trail up the mountain or walking up the long flight of stair with bike on my back. At the end of the day we would stop by Dairy Queen for a treat before heading home.