Mount Royal (, ) is a mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The city's name is derived from its name.
The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentians and the Appalachian Mountains. 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 , Colline d'Outremont (or Mount Murray, in the borough of Outremont) at , and Westmount Summit at elevation above mean sea level.
Geology
Mount Royal is the deep extension of a vastly eroded ancient volcanic complex, which was probably active about 125 million years ago.
The hill, along with the other mountains of the Monteregian Hills, was formed when the North American Plate moved westward over the New England hotspot. By a process known as intrusion, 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 hill.
The mineral montroyalite, discovered in Montreal, is named after the hill that provided the definition sample.
History Mount Royal was a longtime gathering point for First Nations peoples including the Mohawk. The village of Hochelaga was located on the mountain, serving as a major trading center and destination. A fire beacon on one of Mount Royal's three peaks, , guided canoes to a nearby beach. The first European to scale the hill was Jacques Cartier, guided there in 1535 by residents of Hochelaga. He named it in honour of his patron, Francis I of France. He wrote in his journal: "And among these fields is situated and seated the said town of Hochelaga, near to and adjoining a mountain. [...] We named this mountain Mount Royal."
One theory is that the name of the Island of Montréal derives from Mont Réal, as the hill's name was spelled in Middle French (Mont Royal in Modern French). However, Cartier's 1535 diary entry refers to "le mont Royal." Another argument, mentioned by the Government of Canada on its website concerning Canadian place names, is that the name Montréal was adopted because a Venetian map from 1556 used the Italian name of the hill, "Monte Real." The name was first applied to the island and was unofficially applied to the city, formerly named Ville-Marie, by the 18th century.
In 1643, Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve made a pilgrimage to the top of the hill to fulfill a vow made in the winter season on occasion of a great flood that swept up to the town palisades.
Development Montrealers had wanted to build a park on Mount Royal since at least 1857, but the first city commitment to buy land and create a park started in 1868. The park was inaugurated on May 24, 1876.
In 1876, land owner and farmer James Swail began planning residential subdivisions on the western slope of Mount Murray, in what is now the Côte-des-Neiges district. In 1906, a large housing development was started in the area, called Northmount Heights, with homes built along what is now Decelles Street by developer Northmount Land Company. Much of this area has since been expropriated by the Université de Montréal.
In 1914–1918, the Mount Royal Tunnel was dug under the hill by the Canadian Northern Railway, a predecessor of the Canadian National Railway. It is currently used by the Réseau express métropolitain.
Morality Cuts of the 1950s By the 1950s, a wooded area in the northeastern section of the park became known as the Jungle. Marginalized groups used the overgrown space, and it became a major cruising spot for gay men who faced homophobia in other Montreal social spaces. However, a 1954 sociological study of gay Montrealers publicized their use of the area, leading to increased surveillance of the Jungle community.
Public opposition to the space also increased due to a wave of morality campaigns in 1954 following a series of crimes against children in the city, including some in the Jungle and park. The local English-language press condemned the Jungle as a space for sexual activity, alcohol, and crime near a children's playground. Politicians decided to cut down the forest there and redesign the area, initiating the Morality Cuts of the 1950s. The lost forest earned Mount Royal the nicknames "Bald Mountain" and "Mount Baldy". It also caused soil erosion and the introduction of more non-native species.
Modern events The area was briefly considered as a candidate for the site of Expo 67 before the exposition grounds were ultimately built on adjoining islands in the Saint Lawrence River.
The hilly roads of the park have been used for cycle racing since the 1970s, hosting the 1974 UCI Road Cycling World Championships, the individual road race cycling event at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and the subsequent annual races of Coupe du Monde Cycliste Féminine de Montréal (1998–2009) and Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal (2010–present).
After the Ice Storm of 1998, 5,000 damaged trees were cut from Mount Royal. In 2018, the park planned to cut 4,000 ash trees due to emerald ash borer infestation.
Geography
Topography Mount Royal is about 4 kilometres ( miles) east to west and 2.5 kilometres ( miles) north to south. The hill emerges from the plains occupied by Montreal and neighbouring regions.
Road networks Two roads cross the territory:Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec – Site patrimonial du Mont-Royal, Culture et communication Québec.
The Camillien Houde Way (named Remembrance Road on part of its route) Côte-des-Neiges Road
Natural heritage Fauna Mount Royal is home to many animal species including gray squirrel, raccoon, fox, marmot, striped skunk, bee and various species of birds.
Flora From the point of view of the flora, the hill shelters a set of natural spaces and semi-natural rich in trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants
Mount Royal Cross
The first Mount Royal Cross 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 hill is crowned by a 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, and then to LEDs in 2009. The cross is usually lit in white, but can now be changed to any colour, including the purple traditionally used upon the death of a pope.
Beside the cross, a plaque marks the placement of a time capsule in 1992, during Montréal's 350th birthday celebration. It contains messages and drawings from 12,000 children, depicting their visions for the city in the year 2142, when the capsule is scheduled to be opened.Walking tour: Mount Royal, Frommer's
Mount Royal Park
The hill is the site of Mount Royal Park (), one of Montreal's largest greenspaces. The park was originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (who also co-designed New York City's Central Park) and was inaugurated in 1876, although not completed to his design.
Olmsted had planned to emphasize the mountainous topography through the use of vegetation. Shade trees at the bottom of the carriage path would resemble a valley. As the visitor went higher, the vegetation would get more sparse to give the illusion of exaggerated height. However, Montreal suffered a depression in the mid-1870s and many of Olmsted's plans were abandoned. The carriage way was built, but it was done hastily and without regards to the original plan. None of the vegetation choices were followed.
The park contains two belvederes, the more prominent of which is the Kondiaronk Belvedere, a semicircular plaza with a Mount Royal Chalet overlooking Downtown Montreal. Built in 1906, it is named for the Petun chief Kondiaronk, whose influence led to the Great Peace of Montreal in 1701.
Other features of the park are Beaver Lake (a small artificial lake), a snow tube and toboggan run, cross-country skiing trails, a sculpture garden and Smith House, an interpretive centre. At the foot of the hill, overlooking Park Avenue, the park features the George-Étienne Cartier Monument (home to the Tam-Tams) and a gazebo (more properly, a bandstand) which has been named in honour of Mordecai Richler.
The lush forest has been badly damaged, both by Mayor Drapeau's so-called morality cuts of the 1950s and 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 its extensive hiking and cross-country ski trails. Biking is restricted to the main gravel roads.
From 1885 to 1920, the Mount Royal Funicular Railway brought sightseers to its peak. After it ceased service, Montreal's No. 11 streetcar brought visitors to the peak until 1959. A roadway named for longtime but controversial former mayor Camillien Houde now bisects the hill, although Houde had been opposed to the idea of putting a road through the park.
The park, cemeteries, and several adjacent parks and institutions have been combined into the Mount Royal Natural and Historical District (Arrondissement historique et naturel du Mont-Royal) by the provincial government in order to legally protect the rich cultural and natural heritage of the region.
Parc Tiohtià:ke Otsira'kéhne
In June 2017, during the 375th anniversary of Montreal, the city formally named the greenspace surrounding the Outremont peak Parc Tiohtià:ke Otsira'kéhne, Mohawk for "the place of the big fire," reflecting how the hill had been used for a fire beacon by First Nations people. It has an area of .
Wintertime
Mount Royal Park currently hosts a snow tube and toboggan run on one of the former alpine ski slopes,Community Walk, "Parc du Mont Royal" (accessed 31 March 2010) as well as 7 groomed cross-country ski and snowshoe trails which total , with equipment rental available onsite.
One of the most popular activities to do on Beaver Lake is to skate; this activity is free if one brings their own equipment.Canada Trails, "Cross Country Skiing in Quebec"(accessed 31 March 2010)Bonjour Quebec,"Mount Royal Park" (accessed 31 March 2010)
The former alpine ski slope featured a T-bar and a drop. Mechanical lift devices were first installed in Mount Royal Park in 1945.The Gazette (Montreal),"Mount Royal May Have Ski Tows; Heavy Snows Herald Early Season", Bill Weintraub, 29 December 1944 (accessed 31 March 2010) In the 1940s, there were two and a half miles of ski slopes available.New York Times, "Ski Slopes and Trails", Frank Elkins, 7 December 194' A ski shop was first installed in the park in 1938.The Gazette (Montreal),"Mount Royal Ski", Stan Helleur, 19 January 1940 (accessed 31 March 2010) Prior to that, in the 1920s, one of the best ski jumps in Canada was the one on Mount Royal, near Côte-des-Neiges.The Daily Times, "Ski Jumper Leaving Take Off For Long Flight Down Mount Royal", 15 January 1920 (accessed 31 March 2010)
Founded in 1840, the now-defunct Montreal Snow Shoe Club, with members drawn from some of Montreal's prominent businessmen, would meet each week during the winter at nightfall on Sherbrooke Street near McGill College Avenue to snowshoe through Mount Royal Park, lit by torchlight. Club members began wearing blue tuques on their outings around 1870. Recently, the tradition has been revived as the Tuques Bleues celebration by the Les amis de la montagne, a charitable organization that works to protect and preserve the park.
Tam-Tams