Charlesbourg, Beauport, Sillery and Cap-Rouge are all names that, today, conjure up images of Québec City’s suburbs, but they were still distinct communities in the 19th century. Though they continue to follow their own course through history and have their own distinct identities, their history is nonetheless intimately linked and parallel to that of Québec City. As the city grew and industrialized in the 19th century, these communities remained largely agricultural and French-speaking. Some English-speaking aristocrats did, however, develop estates there. This album takes you on a tour around Québec City at the time!
John Philip Bainbridge
Today, Charlesbourg is one of Québec City’s six boroughs. However, for a long time, Charlesbourg was its own distinct village, as we can see in this 1840 painting! The origin of Charlesbourg goes back to the Trait-Carré district, founded by the Jesuits in 1665. The trapezoid-shaped area was divided into landholdings set around a central square. Trait-Carré was named a historic area in 1965 for this unusual layout.
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