You’ll find this beautiful building at the western part of the Lachine Canal in the borough of Lachine in Montreal. The French explorers of the 1600s called les Voyageurs would depart from this location in their canoes to travel for thousands of miles inland in search of beaver pelts and trade with the first nations people of North America. In 1803 this building was erected to serve as a warehouse for the goods that they would transport. Soon afterward it was purchased by the Hudson’s Bay company which played a major economic role in Canada’s history. It is Canada’s oldest company and was founded in 1670.
Just on the other side of the building in the photo is Lake Saint-Louis, part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and a popular spot for sailing in the summer. The warehouse was converted into a museum and is now a Canadian National Historic site. There is a bicycle path that runs along the riverfront that goes goes on for what seems like forever. Montreal has over 500km of bike paths and was rated the number one cycling city in North America by Bicycling magazine.
by Ken Kaminesky
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