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Concerns about the snow’s impact on the streetcar system is nothing new! At the time, electric streetcars were equipped with a “sweeper” As we see in this photograph, De l’Esplanade Street was only cleared the width of the wagon: there are great heaps of snow on either side.
1840 - 1894

Ah! “It has snowed, oh, how it has snowed!”

These words were written by the famous Québécois poet Émile Nelligan in the late 19th century. Since then, they have been repeated at every large snowfall. And Québec City is certainly one of the places where this poem is quoted most often: It is one of the snowiest cities in the world! Explore this album of photos and other artworks to learn how 19th-century residents of Québec City made the most of winter. Lots of questions about these images await!

A streetcar makes its way in wintertime

Auteur inconnu Concerns about the snow’s impact on the streetcar system is nothing new! At the time, electric streetcars were equipped with a “sweeper” As we see in this photograph, De l’Esplanade Street was only cleared the width of the wagon: there are great heaps of snow on either side.
Chronoscope Can you date this photograph? (unilingual French for a limited time) Source: Ville de Québec Document in the public domain (free of copyright) - Date: 1860