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Mount Royal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mount Royal | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Municipal |
| Location | Montreal |
| Coordinates | |
| Size | 233 metres (764 feet) |
| Opened | 1876 |
| Operated by | City of Montreal |
| Status | Open all year |
Mount Royal (French: Mont Royal) () is a mountain on the Island of Montreal, immediately north 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 metres (764 feet), Colline d'Outremont (or Mount Murray, in the borough of Outremont ) at 211 metres (692 feet), and Westmount mount at 201 metres (659 feet) elevation above mean sea level. At this height, it might be otherwise considered a very tall hill, but it has always been called a mountain.
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Some tourist guidebooks, such as the famous Michelin Guide to Montreal, state that Mount Royal is an extinct volcano. The mountain is not a volcano per se, although it is the deep extension of a vastly eroded ancient volcanic complex, which was probably active about 125 million years ago.[1] The mountain was created when the North American Plate moved westward over the New England hotspot,[1] along with the other mountains of the Monteregian Hills. The magma intruded into the sedimentary rocks 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 dikes and sills. Subsequently, the surrounding softer sedimentary rock was eroded, leaving behind the resistant igneous rock that forms the mountain.
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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:
- 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.
- ("And among these fields is situated the said town of Hochelaga, near to and adjoining a mountain... We named this mountain, Mount Royal.")
The name of the city of Montreal derives from mont Réal, an orthographic variant introduced either in French, or by an Italian map maker ("Mount Royal" is monte Reale in Italian). The name had been unofficially applied to the city, formerly Ville-Marie, by the 18th century.
The first cross on the mountain 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 praying 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. The new system can turn the lights red, blue, or purple, the last of which is used as a sign of mourning between the death of the Pope and the election of the next. (This operation was previously accomplished by changing the all in the light bulbs.)
In 1918, a railway tunnel was built under the mountain. It is currently used by the AMT's Montreal/Deux-Montagnes line.
The area was originally considered as the site for Expo 67.[2]
The mountain is the site of Mount Royal Park (officially Parc du Mont-Royal), one of Montreal's largest greenspaces. The park, most of which is wooded, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York's Central Park, and inaugurated in 1876.
The park contains two belvederes, the more prominent of which is the Kondiaronk Belvedere, a semicircular plaza with a chalet, overlooking downtown Montreal. Other features of the park are Beaver Lake, a small man-made lake; a short ski slope; a sculpture garden; Smith House, an interpretive centre; and a well-known monument to Sir George-Étienne Cartier. The park hosts athletic, tourist, and cultural activities.
The lush forest was badly damaged 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.
Once, the Mount Royal Railway, a funicular railroad, brought sightseers to its peak. [1] That attraction has long since vanished and 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.
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.
Facing the mountain across Parc Avenue is Jeanne Mance Park (Parc Jeanne-Mance), formerly known as Fletcher's Field. [2] A popular recreational area, Jeanne Mance Park features an artificially surfaced field for soccer and football, tennis courts, two baseball diamonds, a kiddie pool, playground, beach volleyball courts and a community composting facility.
The park is also home to the CBC's Mount Royal transmitter facility, which comprises two large buildings (one used primarily by the CBC and one used by the private television stations) and a very short (about 100 metres (328 ft)) candelabra tower, from which nearly all of Montreal's television and FM radio stations broadcast. Because of the close 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.[citation needed]
Outside the park, Mount Royal's slopes are also home to such Montreal landmarks as St. Joseph's Oratory, Canada's largest church; McGill University 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 Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal; and some well-off residential neighbourhoods such as Upper Westmount and Upper Outremont.
There are two cemeteries in the area: Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery (Catholic), Mount Royal Cemetery (non-denominational but primarily Protestant, and including several small Jewish cemeteries) -- all of which are now running out of space [3].
Mount Royal hosts a popular activity in summer time known as the "Sunday Tam-Tams", whereby a number of Montrealers and visitors play hand drums ("tam-tams" in French) such as djembes on the east slope of the mountain, around the monument to Sir George-Étienne Cartier. 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 origins of this spontaneous gathering are unknown, and 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.
 Beaver Lake (Lac des castors), on Mount Royal |
 Gravel road |
Mount Royal's eastern slope, with the cross and the monument to Sir George-Étienne Cartier, seen from avenue du Parc |
 Downtown Montreal seen from the mountain |
- ^ a b A Hundred-Million Year History of the Corner Rise and New England Seamounts Retrieved on 2007-08-01
- ^ (See "Did You Know")