The heritage of the Soulanges Canal
Banners exhibition
Pedal back in time! The latest edition of the bike path’s banner exhibition highlights the rich heritage of the Soulanges Canal. With 27 banners along each kilometer of the trail, discover the canal’s history, from its construction to its most flourishing years. Let yourself be carried away by this visual narrative, where each kilometer whispers the story of a place that has shaped the region, between water, stone and time.
This project was supported by the Government of Quebec and the MRC de Vaudreuil-Soulanges under the cultural development agreement (2024), as well as by the “Signature innovation” component of the Fonds régions et ruralité of the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation (MAMH). Thanks to our collaborators, the Société de recherches historiques de Pointe-des-Cascades, the Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges and the Centre d’archives de Vaudreuil-Soulanges.
Archipel Project
The Soulanges Canal Park is proud to present Archipel, a hybrid exhibition featuring physical installations and multimedia content. These installations follow on from the “Projet Archipel – co-création citoyenne” (Archipel Project – citizen co-creation) carried out a few years ago by TRAMES, and presenting through audio capsules the ways in which the Soulanges Canal marks the imagination, identity or daily life of its residents. Each station is a multi-sensory experience, inviting you to observe, listen and notice the jewels of the canal’s heritage. The audio vignettes are accompanied by historical or cultural facts about the canal’s history, as well as historical photos that will take you back into its past.
This project was supported by the Quebec government and the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC as part of the cultural development agreement (2021-2023 and 2024), as well as by the “Signature innovation” component of the Fonds régions et ruralité of the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation (MAMH). The project also benefited from the Programme d’innovation culturelle et numérique of the Conseil des arts et de la culture de Vaudreuil-Soulanges (CACVS), and the audio capsules of the initial TRAMES project were supported by the Des ponts culturels, d’une rive à l’autre program of the Conseil des arts de Montréal, and the collaboration of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and the municipalities of Pointe-des-Cascades, Les Cèdres, Coteau-du-Lac and Les Coteaux. Thanks to the many contributors: Geneviève Murray, the Collectif Escargo, the Société de recherches historiques de Pointe-des-Cascades, the Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, and the Centre d’archives de Vaudreuil-Soulanges. Finally, a special thank you to the citizens who lent their voices and their stories to the Archipel project.
The Soulanges Canal (1899-1958)
An engineering masterpiece, the Soulanges Canal bypassed the rapids of the St. Lawrence for more than half a century. A symbol of an era of maritime and commercial expansion, it left its mark on the landscape and daily life of riverside communities. Today, its remains bear witness to a great human, technical and territorial adventure at the heart of Quebec’s history. Discover the history of the canal on these ten panels revisited by the Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges along the bike path.
This project was supported by the Quebec government and the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC under the cultural development agreement (2024), as well as by the “Signature innovation” component of the Fonds régions et ruralité of the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation (MAMH).
Le Petit pouvoir, Les Cèdres
The electrification of the Soulanges Canal led to the construction of a building whose architecture continues to surprise and amaze. Designed for industrial purposes, the hydroelectric power plant stands out from the other buildings sheltering the canal’s facilities and employees. Influenced by a typically Canadian architecture influence, the building has a “castle” style. Classified as a historic monument by the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec in 1984 (now the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec), this jewel of Quebec heritage bears witness to the dynamism and importance of the Soulanges Canal. The Little Power of the Cedars is one of only four hydroelectric power stations that were built in Quebec before 1900 and that still stand today.
Parc des Ancres (Anchor Park), Pointes-des-Cascades
The Parc des Ancres is located near lock number 3 of the Soulanges Canal, on either side of Centrale st., in the heart of the village of Pointe-des-Cascades.
This place is a real open air museum, open 365 days a year and boasting an impressing collection of over 100 anchors and other artifacts from the maritime world. It is a must-see! Besides, it’s also here that the km 0 of the Soulanges cycle path is located. The perfect place to start your day!
Anchor Park exists thanks to the impressive work of the Société de Recherches historiques de Pointe-des-Cascades.
Pointe-des-Cascades, Coteau-du-Lac and Les Coteaux lighthouses
For nearly 60 years, day in and day out, rain or shine, four lights would show ship captains the way forward.
Whether it was from the Saint-Louis lake or the Saint-François lake, these entry lighthouses guided navigators who would begin their delicate maneuvers to enter the canal and avoid the Saint Lawrence river rapids. It’s by orienting themselves with these two lights
superimposed one on top of the other that captains would align the ship on the correct approach axis. From the first steamships in 1899 to the last ocean-going vessels in 1958, captains have relied on these guardians to perform a veritable feat, lining up ships in a channel 30 meters wide and 23.4 km long. Installed in pairs at the two mouths of the canal in the spring of 1900, these four metal sentinels were first operated by gas and then converted to electricity in 1903.
They are made up of four components: a pedestal that is higher or lower than the water level; a light-generating lamp powered by gas or electricity; an optical system to focus this light and direct it towards the horizon; and a lantern to protect the lamp and optical system from the elements. While the landscape surrounding them has changed, we can still see, at both ends of the canal, these four sentries, now at ease.
Texts and research : Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges
Arches, doors and tanks
By going through the canal, we can still notice some remnants of its golden age. The various components of cement and cut stone, arranged between the six locks, testify to the scale and ingenuity of this great work. Between the large lock gates and the piers, you can still see the arches that made up the biefs, the large artificial basins that held the water between two locks. Distributed all along the canal, the abutments, which would support the decks of the five swinging bridges, are still very visible.
While these structures bear witness to the technical innovation used in the construction and operation of the canal, they now contribute to the aesthetic qualities of this exceptional place and the cultural landscape of the region.
Texts and research : Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges
