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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.
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 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 erosion, 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.
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.
In 1876, land owner and farmer James Swail began planning residential subdivisions on the western slope of Mount Murray, in what is now the Cote-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.
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).
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
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.
One of the most popular activities to do on Beaver Lake is to skate; this activity is free if you have your 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 lift 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 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 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.
The Tam-tams began in the late 1970s with a workshop on African drumming at a jazz bar on Ontario Street. 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 (as well as a permissive attitude towards then-illegal cannabis use), the police presence has not led to conflict.
The "shortness" indicated above was dictated by the maximum allowable height (1100 feet above sea level) dictated by the federal Department of Transport because of the proximity to the flight path to Trudeau Airport nearby. The engineering challenge was to combine all the desired antennas in the limited space between the top of the hill and 1100 feet above sea level, which led to the "candelabra" design.
Tam-Tams
In the summer, Mount Royal hosts a popular activity known as Tam-Tams, or the "Tam-Tam Jam", whereby a number of Montrealers and visitors play (such as ) on the east slope of the hill, near the George-Étienne Cartier Monument. The Sunday afternoon gatherings attract people of various backgrounds. Often, dozens of tam-tam players perform their art at the same time, encouraging others to dance. In addition, many children and adults participate nearby in a battle with foam-padded weapons.
Jeanne-Mance Park
Facing the hill across Parc Avenue is Jeanne-Mance Park. A popular recreational area, Jeanne-Mance Park features a playground, a wading pool, tennis courts, various sports fields, and in winter, a skating rink.
Transmission tower
The park is also home to the CBC's Mount Royal transmitter facility, which comprises two large buildings: one used primarily by the CBC for its 2 Montreal stations, CBMT-DT and CBFT-DT, and one used by the private television stations. There is also a short (about ) candelabra tower, from which nearly all of Montreal's television and FM radio stations broadcast. Because of the 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.
Adjacent landmarks
Outside the park, Mount Royal's slopes are also home to such Montreal landmarks as Saint Joseph's Oratory, Canada's largest church; McGill University; the Montreal General Hospital; McGill's Molson Stadium, home to the CFL's Montreal Alouettes; the McTavish reservoir; Université de Montréal; the École Polytechnique de Montréal; the Îlot-Trafalgar-Gleneagles historic block; and some well-off residential neighbourhoods such as Upper Westmount and Upper Outremont. In 2024, Elie-Wiesel Park was inaugurated on de Courtrai Avenue near Décarie Boulevard and Westbury Avenue in the Snowdon district in Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in honour of Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor, writer, professor, and Nobel Peace Prize winner; it has a playground, relaxation area, walking trails, furniture, green spaces, and unique water features. "Elie-Wiesel Park officially inaugurated in Montreal," City News, September 6, 2024.
See also
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