Battle of Rivière des Prairies / Battle of Coulée Grou National Historic Site of Canada
Montréal, Quebec
Location of 1989 plaque
(© Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, 1989.)
Address :
13470 Gouin Boulevard East - Highway 37, Montréal, Quebec
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1924-06-04
Dates:
-
1690 to 1690
(Significant)
Event, Person, Organization:
-
Sieur de Colombet
(Person)
-
Iroquois First Nations
(People, group)
Other Name(s):
-
Battle of Rivière des Prairies / Battle of Coulée Grou
(Designation Name)
-
Battle of Coulée Groulx
(Other Name)
Research Report Number:
2009-CED-SDC-018
Plaque(s)
Approved Inscription: Montréal, Quebec
In July 1690, during the French-Iroquois wars, the Sieur de Colombet, a former lieutenant in the French army, received word that an Iroquois war party was moving along the Rivière des Prairies toward Montréal. He led a group of 25 men to the Coulée Grou where they ambushed the Iroquois, who numbered about 100, as they approached in their canoes. In the skirmish that followed, de Colombet and eight of his men were killed, and another half dozen were captured, while the Iroquois fatalities numbered about 30. Afterward, the surviving French combatants retreated to a nearby fort.
Plaque Removed: 13470 Gouin Boulevard East - Highway 37, Montréal, Quebec
In July 1690 the Sieur de Colombet, a former lieutenant in the French army, received word that an Iroquois war party was proceeding along the Des Prairies River toward Montréal. He gathered a group of 25 men and ambushed the Iroquois, who numbered about 100, as they made their way along the river. In the skirmish which followed, de Colombet and eight of his men were killed, and another half dozen were captured while the remainder of the French retreated to a nearby fort.
Original Plaque: Montréal, Quebec
On 2nd July, 1690, M. de Colombet, commanding 25 men, attacked 100 Iroquois near this place. He and 9 of his soldiers and 30 of the enemy were killed. Jean Grou, the owner of this farm and three of his companions were captured by the Indians and burned alive.
Joseph Lajeunesse, a descendent of Grou, has given the land and stones for this monument.
Description of Historic Place
Battle of Rivière des Prairies / Battle of Coulée Grou National Historic Site of Canada is located on a rolling, partially treed landscape near the coast of the Island of Montréal in Québec. It was the site of a battle between a group of Iroquois and a group of French settlers in 1690. There are no extant remains of the battle; however, the site is marked by a Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada commemorative plaque that is located approximately 60 metres from the creek on Gouin Boulevard. Official recognition refers to the irregular polygon of the battle site at the time of designation.
Heritage Value
Battle of Rivière des Prairies / Battle of Coulée Grou was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1924 because: it is the site of a battle, in 1690, between the French and the Iroquois.
On July 2 1690, the Sieur de Colombet, a former lieutenant in the French army, was alerted to the presence of a group of Iroquois on the nearby Rivière des Prairies, prompting him to gather 25 settlers to investigate. They traveled to the property of Jean Grou, near the creek bearing his name, and fired on the canoes of the Iroquois, killing four. The Iroquois, numbering roughly 100, landed and engaged in combat with the French. In the ensuing battle 15 French and 30 Iroquois were killed or taken prisoner.
Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, 1924, June 1980, May 2009.
Character-Defining Elements
Key elements contributing to the heritage value of this site include: its location, on the island of Montréal in Québec; its siting on a rolling, partially treed landscape on the banks of the Rivière des Prairies and Coulée Grou Creek; the integrity of any surviving or as yet unidentified archaeological remains which may be found within the site in their original placement and extent; the viewscapes to and from the site, the Rivière des Prairies and Coulée Grou Creek.