Category: Key Dates

 

1663 – Island of Montreal is granted to the Sulpicians for development.

1675 – First concession on West Island to Jean de la Lande dit Lalonde. Today Pointe-à-Caron in Baie d’Urfé. Lots : 307-308 (Terrier 107-108)

1678 – First concession on the land near the future village of Beaurepaire to Jean Guenet who named his property: Beau Repaire. The name Beaurepaire derived from it.

1685 – The western part of the island from Lachine to Senneville is called “Mission St-Louis”.

1684 – Native Iroquois begin retaliating against settlers who continue with deforestration.

1689 August 5th– The “Massacre of Lachine” where many first grantees are killed, among them Pierre Montpetit dit Poitevin, causing the abandonment of western lands.

1701 – The Great Peace Treaty of Montreal is signed between the French and the aboriginal tribes.

1702 – One out of 7 original settlers return along with their first Canadian born children, descendants of first land grantees to re-start farming communities .

1713 – Creation of the Parish of St-Joachim de la Pointe Claire, including the present territory of the cities of Beaconsfield, Kirkland and Pointe Claire.

1840 – First English farming family in Beaurepaire: the Angells.

1853 – Advent of the Grand Trunk Railway brings summer residents to the Lakeshore.

1877 – Beaconsfield becomes a local name by being given by John Henry Menzies to his homestead and his vineyard, the first in the area.

1877 – First summer resort cottages built by John Henry Menzies.

1882 – Building of the Anglican chapel: St. Mary`s in the Field. (This building was torn down in 1944)

1887 – Arrival of the first telephones.

1891 – First real estate developments were at Thomson Point in Beaurepaire and on Kirkwood Avenue.

1892 – First Post office in Beaurepaire named “Dollier”

1893 – First Catholic bilingual school: “La petite école de Beaurepaire”. (In the 1880s schooling had started in a private house at 390 Lakeshore Road, later demolished.)

1902 – First mansion named "Huntlywood" is built for Sir George Drummond on 500-acre Gentleman's farm estate, north-west of the Beaconsfield train station.

1905 – First hotel: “The Reliance” built and owned by Camille Legault near the Beaconsfield Train Station followed by a tavern, rental apartments, Beaconsfield Post Office and lumber yard.

1910 – June 4th: Municipal Incorporation of Beaconsfield: Joseph Léonide Perron, first mayor. The territory was part of the Parish of Saint-Joachim de la Pointe Claire.

1911-1913 – Construction of Beaconsfield Blvd.

1913 – Beaconsfield School Commission.

1914 – Local electricity from Beaconsfield Power Plant which will be sold to "Montreal Light, Heat & Power Inc." company in 1930.

1914 – Urban planned housing development on St-Louis and Fieldfare Avenues.

1923 – Beaconsfield Citizens’ Association established by Sidney Cunningham.

1924 – First Protestant School building at the corner of Fieldfare Avenue and Church Street. (Schooling in private houses since the 1890s: 515 Lakeshore Road till 1895, demolished in 2006; Cedar Park School in Pointe-Claire 1895-1923; house at the corner of Fieldfare Avenue and Pine Street in 1923.)

1924 – Mr. R.Gilbert opened the first service station in Beaconsfield, on Beaconsfield Boulevard.

1925 – Opening of the Beaurepaire Golf Course; last played in the 1990s.

1928 –David Lamoureux opened the first garage and service station in Beaurepaire, at the corner of Beaconsfield and Lakeview Boulevards.

1929 – Commercial Center in Beaurepaire with general store owned by Sidney Cunningham.

1930 – Beaconsfield Power Plant sold to the Montreal Light, Heat & Power Inc.

1931 – Fire destroyed the village of Beaconsfield at St. Charles Road: Reliance Hotel, stable, tavern, post office, lumber yard, rental apartments, houses and the C.N.R. Station.

1945 – Grand scale housing projects on subdivided farms. Beaconsfield becomes a residential commuter suburb and puchases Memorial Park.

1947 - Inauguration of Highway 2 (Now Highway 20).

1951 - Start of the Library using a bookmobile.

1954 – Beconsfield honoured to be home of one of the eleven "Trend Houses" considered a model of what a future community might look like, built at the corner of Lakeshore Road and Woodland (demolished in 2011).

1957 – Start of the installation of the water and sewage systems.

1958 – First Protestant High School: Beaconsfield High School.

1959 – Agreement with Pointe Claire for the supply of water.

1961 – First Roman Catholic Church: St. Edmund of Canterbury.

1966 – Campbell’s farm is the last original grant to start to be developed for the building of permanent residences.

1966 – Incorporation of Beaconsfield as a City.

1968 - Opening of the new City Hall and Library complex at 303 Beaconsfield Boulevard.

1969 – Formation of the Montreal Urban Community.

1975 – Opening of the Municipal Recreation Centre at 1974 City Lane.

1976 – Founding of the Beaurepaire-Beaconsfield Historical Society.

1978 – Beaurepaire Tri-Centennial

2002 – Merger with Baie d’Urfé to become part of the City of Montréal.

2006 – Beaconsfield and Baie d`Urfé demerged from Montréal and became independent cities.

2010 – Beaconsfield Centennial