Vieux-Montréal — Sun King's Fur Conspiracy

Your investigation begins at Place Royale, site of the former Fort Ville-Marie founded in 1642 by Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve. This first public square in Montreal, paved as early as 1685, was a crucial hub for the fur trade in the 17th century under New France. Archaeological excavations in 2006-2007, covering 1,200 m², revealed the remains of this fort, testifying to the perseverance of the first settlers in what would become the Old Montreal Historic District. This is where the first furs transited before reaching French ports, laying the foundations of the colonial economy.

You continue towards the former Montreal General Hospital, a site named in 1964 after Marguerite d'Youville, founder of the Sisters of Charity. Although the original hospital, founded in 1692, was demolished in 1884, Place D'Youville, developed into a park in 1958, with its fountain and stage, preserves the memory of this location. In the 18th century, this square was a historic fur market, where trappers and merchants, like your character, concluded their business. It was on these cobblestones that transactions crucial for the wealth of the Quebec colony unfolded.

Maison Le Moyne de Longueuil, built around 1698 for Charles Le Moyne de Longueuil, your ancestor and an influential lord, is one of Montreal's oldest stone houses. Its 60 cm thick walls, across two stories, attest to the solidity of fortunes built on pelts. Classified as a historical monument in 1967, this residence was occupied by the family until 1815, embodying the elite of New France and its direct involvement in the family fur trade. It is here that many commercial strategies were developed, influencing the network of exchanges all the way to the Old Port of Montreal.

The Bonsecours Market, built in 1847 by George Brown in a neoclassical style with its tin dome, represents a later chapter in Montreal's commercial history. Although later than your era, this 84 m long building, which housed a public market and a hotel until 1960, stands near the old export routes. Renovated in 1962 and 2010, and classified as a heritage building in 1985, it is named after the nearby Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours chapel (1771). It illustrates the continuity of commercial activity which, from furs, made Montreal a major economic center of Quebec.

Your journey concludes at Pointe-à-Callière, Montreal Archaeology and History Complex, founded in 1992 on Montreal's birthplace in 1642. This museum, covering 3.5 hectares, is an archaeological site where excavations have revealed 75 structures, including Fort Rolland from 1693. The main building, 40 m high with its 2-story archaeological crypt, was the nerve center of the fur trade under Louis XIV. It is here, facing the Old Port of Montreal, that Montreal's official motto, "Concordia salus", takes on its full meaning, symbolizing the unity and prosperity you helped build. You leave with a deep understanding of the UNESCO World Heritage this city aspires to become.