Mount Royal
Encyclopedia
Mount Royal is a mountain
in the city of Montreal
, immediately west of downtown
Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
, the city to which it gave its name.
The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentians
and the Appalachians. It gave its Latin
name, Mons Regius, to the Monteregian chain.
The mountain consists of three peaks: Colline de la Croix (or Mont Royal proper) at 233 m (764 ft), Colline d'Outremont (or Mount Murray, in the borough of Outremont
) at 211 m (692 ft), and Westmount at 201 m (659 ft) elevation
above mean sea level
. At this height, it might be otherwise considered a hill, but it has always been called a mountain, given there are no actual mountains in the Montéregie region.
, which was probably active about 125 million years ago. The mountain was created when the North American Plate
moved westward over the New England hotspot
, along with the other mountains of the Monteregian Hills, by a process known as intrusion
: The magma
intruded into the sedimentary rock
s underneath the area, producing at least eight igneous stocks. The main rock type is a gabbro
composed of pyroxene
, olivine
and variable amounts of plagioclase
. During and after the main stage of intrusion, the gabbros and surrounding rocks were intruded by a series of volcanic dike
s and sill
s. Subsequently, the surrounding softer sedimentary rock was eroded
, leaving behind the resistant igneous rock
that forms the mountain.
The mineral montroyalite, discovered in Montreal, is named after the mountain that provided the definition sample.
The first European to scale the mountain was Jacques Cartier
, guided there in 1535 by the people of the village of Hochelega. He named it in honour of his patron
, King François I of France
. He wrote in his journal
:
The name of the Island of Montreal
derives from mont Réal, as it was spelled in Middle French,[9] ( Mont Royal in present French ) The name was first applied to the island and was unofficially applied to the city, formerly Ville-Marie, by the 18th century.
In 1914-1918, a railway tunnel
was dug under the mountain by the Canadian Northern Railway
, a predecessor of the Canadian National. It is currently used by the AMT
's Montreal/Deux-Montagnes commuter rail line.
The area was briefly considered as the site for Expo 67
, before the exposition grounds were ultimately built on islands in the St. Lawrence
For the 1976 Summer Olympics
, the park itself hosted the individual road race cycling
event.
was placed there in 1643 by Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve
, the founder of the city, in fulfillment of a vow he made to the Virgin Mary when pray
ing to her to stop a disastrous flood
. Today, the mountain is crowned by a 31.4 m (103 ft)-high illuminated cross, installed in 1924 by the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste and now owned by the city. It was converted to fibre-optic light in 1992, and then to LEDs
in 2009. The cross is usually lit in white, but can now be changed to any colour, including the purple traditionally used upon the death of the Pope.
Beside the cross, a plaque marks the placement of a time capsule in 1992, during Montreal's 350th birthday celebration. It contains messages and drawings from 12,000 children, depicting their visions for the city in the year 2142, when the capsule is scheduled to be opened.
The mountain is the site of Mount Royal Park (in French: Parc du Mont-Royal), one of Montreal's largest greenspace
s. The park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted
, who also designed New York's Central Park
, and inaugurated in 1876, although not completed to his design.
Olmsted had planned to emphasize the mountainous topography through the use of vegetation. Shade trees at the bottom of the carriage path would resemble a valley. As the visitor went higher, the vegetation would get more sparse to give the illusion of exaggerated height. City officials wanted a reservoir atop the mountain instead and Olmsted planned a grand promenade around it. However, Montreal suffered a depression in the mid 1870s
and many of Olmsted's plans were abandoned. The carriage way was built, but it was done hastily and without regards to the original plan. None of the vegetation choices was followed, and the reservoir was never built.
The park contains two belvedere
s, the more prominent of which is the Kondiaronk Belvedere, a semicircular plaza with a chalet
, overlooking downtown
Montreal. Built in 1906, it is named for the Petun
chief Kondiaronk
, whose influence led to a major peace accord between the French, Iroquois and other Indian tribes in 1701. As of 2009, the Kondiaronk chalet's snack bar is being shuttered, with plans to replace it with healthier fare.
Other features of the park are Beaver Lake, a small man-made lake
; a short ski
slope; cross-country skiing
trails; a sculpture garden
; Smith House, an interpretive centre; and the George-Étienne Cartier Monument
. The park hosts athletic, tourist, and cultural activities.
The lush forest
was badly damaged both by mayor Drapeau’s morality cuts (to remove any opportunity for people to have sex in the bushes) of the mid-1950’s and by the Ice Storm of 1998, but has since largely recovered. The forest is a green jewel rising above downtown Montreal, and is known for its beautiful autumn foliage as well as extensive hiking and cross-country ski trails. Biking is restricted to the main gravel roads.
From 1885 to 1920, the Mount Royal Funicular Railway brought sightseers to its peak. After it ceased service, Montreal's No. 11 streetcar brought visitors to the peak. A roadway named for longtime but controversial former mayor Camillien Houde
—jailed during the Second World War for his opposition to Canada's war effort—now bisects the mountain. Ironically, Houde had been opposed to the idea of putting a road through the park
The park, cemeteries, and several adjacent parks and institutions have been combined in the Arrondissement historique et naturel du Mont-Royal (Mount Royal Natural and Historical District) by the government of Quebec, in order to legally protect the rich cultural and natural heritage of this region. It is the only place in Quebec to have the combined status of an arrondissement naturel and arrondissement historique.
(Parc Jeanne-Mance), formerly known as Fletcher's Field. A popular recreational area, Jeanne Mance Park features an artificially surfaced field for soccer and football, tennis courts, two baseball diamonds, a kiddie pool, beach volleyball
courts and a community composting facility. In the spring of 2009, a children's playground was abruptly demolished by city workers. The park had been the home of the transplanted Crystal Palace
from 1878 to 1896, until it was destroyed by fire.
's Mount Royal transmitter facility, which comprises two large buildings (one used primarily by the CBC and one used by the private television station
s) and a very short (about 100 m (328 ft)) candelabra tower, from which nearly all of Montreal's television and FM radio stations broadcast. Because of the proximity of this tower to public areas of the park, in recent years significant concerns have been raised about radio-frequency radiation exposure; at several points formerly accessible to park users near the tower, radiation was found to be significantly higher than that permitted for the general public.
and its teaching hospitals, including the Royal Victoria Hospital and Montreal General Hospital
; McGill's Molson Stadium
, home to the CFL
's Montreal Alouettes
; the Université de Montréal
; the École Polytechnique de Montréal
; and some well-off residential neighbourhoods such as Upper Westmount
and Upper Outremont
. It might be noted that the slope upon which the Universite de Montreal is situated has historically been referred to as "Northmount", a derivation of the Northmountland development company which constructed dwellings in the district. See reference below.
(Catholic), Mount Royal Cemetery
(non-denominational but primarily Protestant, and including several small Jewish cemeteries) — all of which are now running out of space.
The former alpine ski slope that is used for toboganning, at one time contained a T-bar, and had a 100-foot drop. Mechanical lift devices were first installed in Mount Royal Park in 1945. A ski shop was first installed in the park in 1938. In the roaring twenties, one of the best ski jumps in Canada was the one on Mount Royal, near Cote des Neiges. In the 1940's there were two and a half miles of ski slopes available.
Mount Royal currently has 18km in 7 groomed cross-country skiing trails, also open for snowshoeing, and rentals are available onsite.
refusing to give up land that it uses as a depot.
In the summer time, Mount Royal hosts a popular activity known as the "Tam Tam Jam", whereby a number of Montrealers and visitors play hand drums ("tam-tams" in French) such as djembe
s on the east slope of the mountain, at the George-Étienne Cartier Monument
. The Sunday gatherings attract people of various backgrounds, and often dozens of tam-tam players perform their art at the same time, encouraging others to dance. In addition, many children and adults participate in a continuous mock medieval battle with foam-padded weapons.
The Tam-tams began in the late '70s with a workshop on African drumming at a jazz bar on Ontario Street. It is not organized by the municipal authorities. Despite initial resistance by participants, the city now intervenes in the event, restricting commercial activity to registered members in designated areas and assigning police and first aid
technicians to ensure the safety of those present. Although initially controversial in light of the event's communal and countercultural vibe (and permissive attitude towards marijuana use) the police presence has not led to conflict.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
in the city of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, immediately west of downtown
Downtown Montreal
Downtown Montreal is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is nearly enitirely located at the southern most slope of Mount Royal and is approximately bounded by Sherbrooke Street to the north, Papineau Avenue to the east, Guy Street or until Shaughnessy Village to the west,...
Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the city to which it gave its name.
The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentians
Laurentian mountains
The Laurentian Mountains are a mountain range in southern Quebec, Canada, north of the St. Lawrence River and Ottawa River, rising to a highest point of 1166 metres at Mont Raoul Blanchard, north east of Quebec City in the Reserve Faunique des Laurentides. The Gatineau, L'Assomption, Lièvre,...
and the Appalachians. It gave its Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
name, Mons Regius, to the Monteregian chain.
The mountain consists of three peaks: Colline de la Croix (or Mont Royal proper) at 233 m (764 ft), Colline d'Outremont (or Mount Murray, in the borough of Outremont
Outremont (borough)
Outremont is a borough of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It consists entirely of the former city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada...
) at 211 m (692 ft), and Westmount at 201 m (659 ft) elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
. At this height, it might be otherwise considered a hill, but it has always been called a mountain, given there are no actual mountains in the Montéregie region.
Geology
Some tourist guidebooks, such as the famous Michelin Guide to Montreal, state that Mount Royal is an extinct volcano. The mountain is not a traditional volcano as such. However, it is the deep extension of a vastly eroded ancient volcanic complexComplex volcano
A complex volcano, also called a compound volcano, is a volcano with more than one feature. They form because changes of their eruptive characteristics or the location of multiple vents in an area...
, which was probably active about 125 million years ago. The mountain was created when the North American Plate
North American Plate
The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, Greenland, Cuba, Bahamas, and parts of Siberia, Japan and Iceland. It extends eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Chersky Range in eastern Siberia. The plate includes both continental and oceanic crust...
moved westward over the New England hotspot
New England hotspot
The New England hotspot, also referred to as the Great Meteor hotspot, is a long-lived volcanic hotspot in the Atlantic Ocean. The hotspot's most recent eruptive center is the Great Meteor Seamount, and it probably created a short line of mid to late-Tertiary age seamounts on the African Plate but...
, along with the other mountains of the Monteregian Hills, by a process known as intrusion
Intrusion
An intrusion is liquid rock that forms under Earth's surface. Magma from under the surface is slowly pushed up from deep within the earth into any cracks or spaces it can find, sometimes pushing existing country rock out of the way, a process that can take millions of years. As the rock slowly...
: The magma
Magma
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
intruded into the sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock are types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause mineral and/or organic particles to settle and accumulate or minerals to precipitate from a solution....
s underneath the area, producing at least eight igneous stocks. The main rock type is a gabbro
Gabbro
Gabbro refers to a large group of dark, coarse-grained, intrusive mafic igneous rocks chemically equivalent to basalt. The rocks are plutonic, formed when molten magma is trapped beneath the Earth's surface and cools into a crystalline mass....
composed of pyroxene
Pyroxene
The pyroxenes are a group of important rock-forming inosilicate minerals found in many igneous and metamorphic rocks. They share a common structure consisting of single chains of silica tetrahedra and they crystallize in the monoclinic and orthorhombic systems...
, olivine
Olivine
The mineral olivine is a magnesium iron silicate with the formula 2SiO4. It is a common mineral in the Earth's subsurface but weathers quickly on the surface....
and variable amounts of plagioclase
Plagioclase
Plagioclase is an important series of tectosilicate minerals within the feldspar family. Rather than referring to a particular mineral with a specific chemical composition, plagioclase is a solid solution series, more properly known as the plagioclase feldspar series...
. During and after the main stage of intrusion, the gabbros and surrounding rocks were intruded by a series of volcanic dike
Dike (geology)
A dike or dyke in geology is a type of sheet intrusion referring to any geologic body that cuts discordantly across* planar wall rock structures, such as bedding or foliation...
s and sill
Sill (geology)
In geology, a sill is a tabular sheet intrusion that has intruded between older layers of sedimentary rock, beds of volcanic lava or tuff, or even along the direction of foliation in metamorphic rock. The term sill is synonymous with concordant intrusive sheet...
s. Subsequently, the surrounding softer sedimentary rock was eroded
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
, leaving behind the resistant igneous rock
Igneous rock
Igneous rock is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava...
that forms the mountain.
The mineral montroyalite, discovered in Montreal, is named after the mountain that provided the definition sample.
History
 |
 |
The first European to scale the mountain was Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier was a French explorer of Breton origin who claimed what is now Canada for France. He was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named "The Country of Canadas", after the Iroquois names for the two big...
, guided there in 1535 by the people of the village of Hochelega. He named it in honour of his patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
, King François I of France
Francis I of France
Francis I was King of France from 1515 until his death. During his reign, huge cultural changes took place in France and he has been called France's original Renaissance monarch...
. He wrote in his journal
Diary
A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...
:
- Et au parmy d'icelles champaignes, est scituée et assise ladicte ville de Hochelaga, près et joignant une montaigne ... Nous nommasmes icelle montaigne le mont Royal.
The name of the Island of Montreal
Island of Montreal
The Island of Montreal , in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. It is separated from Île Jésus by the Rivière des Prairies....
derives from mont Réal, as it was spelled in Middle French,[9] ( Mont Royal in present French ) The name was first applied to the island and was unofficially applied to the city, formerly Ville-Marie, by the 18th century.
In 1914-1918, a railway tunnel
Mount Royal Tunnel
The Mount Royal Tunnel is a railway tunnel located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It connects the city's Gare Centrale/Central Station, located downtown, with the north side of the Island of Montreal and Laval, passing through Mount Royal. Since 1995, the only trains using the tunnel are commuter...
was dug under the mountain by the Canadian Northern Railway
Canadian Northern Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway is a historic Canadian transcontinental railway. At its demise in 1923, when it was merged into the Canadian National Railway , the CNoR owned a main line between Quebec City and Vancouver via Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.-Manitoba beginnings:CNoR had its start in...
, a predecessor of the Canadian National. It is currently used by the AMT
Agence métropolitaine de transport
The Agence métropolitaine de transport is the umbrella organization that plans, integrates, and coordinates public transportation services across Canada's Greater Montreal Region, including the Island of Montreal, Laval , and communities along both the North Shore of the Rivière des Mille-Îles...
's Montreal/Deux-Montagnes commuter rail line.
The area was briefly considered as the site for Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
, before the exposition grounds were ultimately built on islands in the St. Lawrence
For the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
, the park itself hosted the individual road race cycling
Cycling at the 1976 Summer Olympics
The cycling competition at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal consisted of two road cycling events and four track cycling events, all for men only. The 2000m tandem event, contested at the previous 13 Games since 1908, was dropped from the Olympic cycling program.-Medal summary:-Medal...
event.
The Cross
The first Mount Royal CrossMount Royal Cross
The Mount Royal Cross is a monument on top of Mount Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It stands at the northeastern edge of the mountain, overlooking the east end of Montreal....
was placed there in 1643 by Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve
Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve
Paul de Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve was a French military officer and the founder of Montreal.- Early career :...
, the founder of the city, in fulfillment of a vow he made to the Virgin Mary when pray
Pray
Pray may refer to:* Prayer, an active effort to communicate with a deity or spiritIt may also refer to:-Places:Italy* Pray, Piedmont, a comune in the Province of BiellaUnited States* Pray, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community-People:...
ing to her to stop a disastrous flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
. Today, the mountain is crowned by a 31.4 m (103 ft)-high illuminated cross, installed in 1924 by the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste and now owned by the city. It was converted to fibre-optic light in 1992, and then to LEDs
Light-emitting diode
A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
in 2009. The cross is usually lit in white, but can now be changed to any colour, including the purple traditionally used upon the death of the Pope.
Beside the cross, a plaque marks the placement of a time capsule in 1992, during Montreal's 350th birthday celebration. It contains messages and drawings from 12,000 children, depicting their visions for the city in the year 2142, when the capsule is scheduled to be opened.
Mount Royal Park
Open space reserve
Open space reserve, open space preserve, and open space reservation, are planning and conservation ethics terms used to describe areas of protected or conserved land or water on which development is indefinitely set aside...
s. The park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
, who also designed New York's Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, and inaugurated in 1876, although not completed to his design.
Olmsted had planned to emphasize the mountainous topography through the use of vegetation. Shade trees at the bottom of the carriage path would resemble a valley. As the visitor went higher, the vegetation would get more sparse to give the illusion of exaggerated height. City officials wanted a reservoir atop the mountain instead and Olmsted planned a grand promenade around it. However, Montreal suffered a depression in the mid 1870s
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression...
and many of Olmsted's plans were abandoned. The carriage way was built, but it was done hastily and without regards to the original plan. None of the vegetation choices was followed, and the reservoir was never built.
The park contains two belvedere
Belvedere (structure)
Belvedere is an architectural term adopted from Italian , which refers to any architectural structure sited to take advantage of such a view. A belvedere may be built in the upper part of a building so as to command a fine view...
s, the more prominent of which is the Kondiaronk Belvedere, a semicircular plaza with a chalet
Chalet
A chalet , also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, native to the Alpine region, made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof with wide, well-supported eaves set at right angles to the front of the house.-Definition and origin:...
, overlooking downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
Montreal. Built in 1906, it is named for the Petun
Petun
The Petún , or Tionontati in their language, were an Iroquoian-speaking First Nations people closely related to the Wendat Confederacy. Their homeland was located along the southwest edge of Georgian Bay, in the area immediately to the west of the Huron territory in Southern Ontario of...
chief Kondiaronk
Kondiaronk
Kondiaronk , known by the French as "Le Rat", was one of the most successful Canadian Indian war chiefs of the late 17th century....
, whose influence led to a major peace accord between the French, Iroquois and other Indian tribes in 1701. As of 2009, the Kondiaronk chalet's snack bar is being shuttered, with plans to replace it with healthier fare.
Other features of the park are Beaver Lake, a small man-made lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
; a short ski
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
slope; cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
trails; a sculpture garden
Sculpture garden
A sculpture garden is an outdoor garden dedicated to the presentation of sculpture, usually several permanently sited works in durable materials in landscaped surroundings....
; Smith House, an interpretive centre; and the George-Étienne Cartier Monument
George-Étienne Cartier Monument
The George-Étienne Cartier Monument is a monument in Mount Royal Park to George-Étienne Cartier by sculptor George William Hill .The monument was inaugurated on September 6, 1919 in the heart of Parc Jeanne-Mance's west side. In recent years, it has become the site of the park's Tamtams...
. The park hosts athletic, tourist, and cultural activities.
The lush forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
was badly damaged both by mayor Drapeau’s morality cuts (to remove any opportunity for people to have sex in the bushes) of the mid-1950’s and by the Ice Storm of 1998, but has since largely recovered. The forest is a green jewel rising above downtown Montreal, and is known for its beautiful autumn foliage as well as extensive hiking and cross-country ski trails. Biking is restricted to the main gravel roads.
From 1885 to 1920, the Mount Royal Funicular Railway brought sightseers to its peak. After it ceased service, Montreal's No. 11 streetcar brought visitors to the peak. A roadway named for longtime but controversial former mayor Camillien Houde
Camillien Houde
Camillien Houde was a Quebec politician, a Member of Parliament, and a four-time mayor of Montreal.-Political career:...
—jailed during the Second World War for his opposition to Canada's war effort—now bisects the mountain. Ironically, Houde had been opposed to the idea of putting a road through the park
The park, cemeteries, and several adjacent parks and institutions have been combined in the Arrondissement historique et naturel du Mont-Royal (Mount Royal Natural and Historical District) by the government of Quebec, in order to legally protect the rich cultural and natural heritage of this region. It is the only place in Quebec to have the combined status of an arrondissement naturel and arrondissement historique.
Jeanne Mance Park
Facing the mountain across Parc Avenue is Jeanne-Mance ParkJeanne-Mance Park
Jeanne-Mance Park , also known as Fletcher's Field, is an urban park in Montreal, located in the borough of Le Plateau Mont-Royal. It is named after the co-founder of Montreal, Jeanne Mance...
(Parc Jeanne-Mance), formerly known as Fletcher's Field. A popular recreational area, Jeanne Mance Park features an artificially surfaced field for soccer and football, tennis courts, two baseball diamonds, a kiddie pool, beach volleyball
Beach volleyball
Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....
courts and a community composting facility. In the spring of 2009, a children's playground was abruptly demolished by city workers. The park had been the home of the transplanted Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace (Montreal)
The Crystal Palace was an exhibition hall built for the Montreal Industrial Exhibition of 1860, originally located at the foot of Victoria Street between St. Catherine and Cathcart Streets. It was used for temporary exhibitions, and in winter, housed an ice skating rink.-Construction:The building...
from 1878 to 1896, until it was destroyed by fire.
Transmission towers
The park is also home to the CBCCanadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
's Mount Royal transmitter facility, which comprises two large buildings (one used primarily by the CBC and one used by the private television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
s) and a very short (about 100 m (328 ft)) candelabra tower, from which nearly all of Montreal's television and FM radio stations broadcast. Because of the proximity of this tower to public areas of the park, in recent years significant concerns have been raised about radio-frequency radiation exposure; at several points formerly accessible to park users near the tower, radiation was found to be significantly higher than that permitted for the general public.
Adjacent landmarks
Outside the park, Mount Royal's slopes are also home to such Montreal landmarks as St. Joseph's Oratory, Canada's largest church; McGill UniversityMcGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
and its teaching hospitals, including the Royal Victoria Hospital and Montreal General Hospital
Montreal General Hospital
The Montreal General Hospital is a hospital in Montreal, Canada, established on May 1, 1819 and an early teaching hospital. First located on the corner of Craig and St-Lawrence Streets with only 24 beds, it moved in 1822 to a new 72-bed building on Dorchester Street. It is currently situated on...
; McGill's Molson Stadium
Molson Stadium
Percival Molson Memorial Stadium is an outdoor football stadium located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
, home to the CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
's Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
; the Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
; the École Polytechnique de Montréal
École Polytechnique de Montréal
The École Polytechnique de Montréal is an engineering school/faculty affiliated with the University of Montreal in Montreal, Canada. It ranks first in Canada for the scope of its engineering research. It is occasionally referred to as Montreal Polytechnic, although in Quebec English its French...
; and some well-off residential neighbourhoods such as Upper Westmount
Westmount, Quebec
Westmount is a city on the Island of Montreal, an enclave of the city of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada; pop. 20,494; area 4.02 km²; population density of 5,092.56 inhabitants/km²....
and Upper Outremont
Outremont
Outremont may refer to:*Outremont, Quebec - a borough and former town in Montreal*Outremont - a Canadian federal electoral district*Outremont - a Quebec provincial electoral district...
. It might be noted that the slope upon which the Universite de Montreal is situated has historically been referred to as "Northmount", a derivation of the Northmountland development company which constructed dwellings in the district. See reference below.
Cemeteries
There are two cemeteries in the area: Notre Dame des Neiges CemeteryNotre Dame des Neiges Cemetery
Founded in 1854, Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges is a 343-acre cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The entrance and the grounds run along a part of chemin Côte-des-Neiges and up the slopes of Mount Royal...
(Catholic), Mount Royal Cemetery
Mount Royal Cemetery
Opened in 1852, Mount Royal Cemetery is a 165-acre terraced cemetery on the north slope of Mount Royal in the borough of Outremont, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The burial ground shares the mountain with the much larger adjacent Roman Catholic cemetery -- Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges...
(non-denominational but primarily Protestant, and including several small Jewish cemeteries) — all of which are now running out of space.
Wintertime
Mount Royal Park currently hosts a tubing and toboganning run, on one of the former alpine ski slopes.The former alpine ski slope that is used for toboganning, at one time contained a T-bar, and had a 100-foot drop. Mechanical lift devices were first installed in Mount Royal Park in 1945. A ski shop was first installed in the park in 1938. In the roaring twenties, one of the best ski jumps in Canada was the one on Mount Royal, near Cote des Neiges. In the 1940's there were two and a half miles of ski slopes available.
Mount Royal currently has 18km in 7 groomed cross-country skiing trails, also open for snowshoeing, and rentals are available onsite.
Expansion plans
Plans to expand the park to include the Outremont summit have hit a snag, with the Notre Dame des Neiges CemeteryNotre Dame des Neiges Cemetery
Founded in 1854, Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges is a 343-acre cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The entrance and the grounds run along a part of chemin Côte-des-Neiges and up the slopes of Mount Royal...
refusing to give up land that it uses as a depot.
Tam-Tams
In the summer time, Mount Royal hosts a popular activity known as the "Tam Tam Jam", whereby a number of Montrealers and visitors play hand drums ("tam-tams" in French) such as djembe
Djembe
A djembe also known as jembe, jenbe, djbobimbe, jymbe, yembe, or jimbay, or sanbanyi in Susu; is a skin-covered drum meant played with bare hands....
s on the east slope of the mountain, at the George-Étienne Cartier Monument
George-Étienne Cartier Monument
The George-Étienne Cartier Monument is a monument in Mount Royal Park to George-Étienne Cartier by sculptor George William Hill .The monument was inaugurated on September 6, 1919 in the heart of Parc Jeanne-Mance's west side. In recent years, it has become the site of the park's Tamtams...
. The Sunday gatherings attract people of various backgrounds, and often dozens of tam-tam players perform their art at the same time, encouraging others to dance. In addition, many children and adults participate in a continuous mock medieval battle with foam-padded weapons.
The Tam-tams began in the late '70s with a workshop on African drumming at a jazz bar on Ontario Street. It is not organized by the municipal authorities. Despite initial resistance by participants, the city now intervenes in the event, restricting commercial activity to registered members in designated areas and assigning police and first aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
technicians to ensure the safety of those present. Although initially controversial in light of the event's communal and countercultural vibe (and permissive attitude towards marijuana use) the police presence has not led to conflict.
See also
- Holy Mountain (website)Holy Mountain (website)Holy Mountain is a 2010 National Film Board of Canada web documentary about Mount Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
, a National Film Board of CanadaNational Film Board of CanadaThe National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
website devoted to the mountain - Royal eponyms in CanadaRoyal eponyms in CanadaIn Canada, a number of sites and structures are named for royal individuals, whether a member of the past French Royal Family, British Royal Family, or present Canadian Royal Family, thus reflecting the country's status as a constitutional monarchy under the Canadian Crown.-King Francis I:-Queen...