Beauharnois is a town located in the Montérégie region of Quebec, on the south shore of the St Lawrence and Lac Saint-François. Beauharnois lies just off the AutoRoute 30 Montreal South Bypass. Its history is closely tied to of the region’s development and the role of the St. Lawrence River for industry and trade. The historical significance of the canal and the hydroelectric station are reflected in the town’s heritage.
Beauharnois History
The area around Beauharnois was initially inhabited by Indigenous peoples, including the Mohawk and Algonquin, who lives closely with the St. Lawrence River.
During the 1600s, French explorers and settlers arrived in the region. The French colonial authorities granted seigneuries (feudal land grants), and one such seigneury, the Seigneury of Beauharnois, was established in 1702. It was named after Charles de Beauharnois, who was the governor of New France at the time. You can recognize land grants from that era by long narrow strips of land (farms) running perpendicularly from the river, typically separated by hedgerows or tree windbreaks.
Additionally, the development of the Beauharnois Canal in 1843 kickstarted the area’s industrialization.
The hydroelectric potential of the St. Lawrence River was recognized in the 1900s to take advantage of the drop in the St Lawrence to the west. The Beauharnois Hydroelectric Power Station, which began operation in the 1930s, was a major project that harnessed the power of the river for electricity generation and combined with an improved Beauharnois Canal completed at the same time.
During World War II, the hydroelectric power generated here was crucial for wartime production of aluminum, a strategic material for the airplane industry.
After the war, Beauharnois continued to experience economic growth and diversification. Beauharnois has agricultural development, industrialization, and important hydroelectric projects.