First Railroad in Canada National Historic Event
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec
Dorchester locomotive
(© Canadian National Railways | Chemins de fer nationaux du Canada / Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada)
Address :
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1925-05-15
Other Name(s):
-
First Railroad in Canada
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2010-CED-SDC-014
Importance:
Opened in 1836, connected Saint-Jean and Laprairie; Champlain and St. Lawrence Railway
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 31 Frontenac Street, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec
Canada’s first steam railway, the Champlain and St. Lawrence, was opened in 1836 to better facilitate trade with the United States. It was built by promoters led by brewer John Molson and merchant-forwarder Jason C. Pierce. This 23-kilometre line expedited the movement of passengers and freight between Montréal and New York by linking La Prairie, on the St. Lawrence River, and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. The wooden rails were replaced with iron in 1847, and the line was extended in 1851 to Rouses Point, New York, to form part of a major international railway network.