I'm in love with all these videos of the 1950's to the 1970's. Great finds, guys !
2 illustrations of
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC.
In 1784
In the foreground, you see the blockhaus and soldiers. The war against the Americans is just over, and Saint-Jean (aka Saint Johns at that time) is Canada's defence outpost on the Richelieu / Champlain lake / Hudson waterway. In the background, on the other shore, the then small town of Saint-Jean and the fort. Lots of commercial ships in the port, as it is Canada's main exchange port with the USA at that time, and Canada's 4th port overall (it supplies goods for Montreal).
(St. Johns, 1784 by J. Peachey, public domain)
Note : in 1775, from September 4 to November 3 (2 months), the garrison posted at Saint-Jean went under siege. This battle, that lasted more than 45 days, and the capitulation, opened the way for the American army to march on Montreal, which fell without battle on November 13. Because it lasted so long, General Carleton was able to escape from Montreal, and made his way to Quebec City to prepare its defences against an anticipated attack. The British army triumphed in Quebec on December 31, and Canada wasn't annexed by the almost-born USA.
In 1838
Saint-Jean, in the middle of the Patriots rebellion.
The church is still standing today, but the façade that you see became the back (le choeur) of the church in 1934 when it was made a cathedral. The Jones Bridge, or White Bridge, was long known as Canada's longest covered bridge. It was demolished in 1915 when the elephants of a strolling circus from the USA refused to pass on the bridge and prefered to cross the 600m-wide Richelieu river by foot. A steel-frame bridge was then built and it still stands today.
(image from the public domain)
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