We entered the Chambly Canal, built in 1833-1843, a ten mile long channel cut to bypass the series of rapids on the Richelieu River. The canal has 9 locks which will raise us to the level of Champlain Lake. The Chambly Canal was originally dug to allow trade between Lake Champlain and the St Lawrence Seaway. Two fortification were also built to protect the trade route.
We went through the first three locks, raising us 35 feet and tied up at the dock after the third lock. This will allow us to visit the town and the old fort- Fort Chambly. We traveled a whole one half mile through the three locks. At the dock we were assisted by Jeanne and Alain, a couple from Rawdon, Quebec. After helping us with our lines, they asked about our trip and shared that they were close to retirement from managing a bison and elk farm, so they could do more boating.
We got ourselves settled and ready to go visit Fort Chambly and walk the town.
Fort Chambly was originally called Fort St Louis and was built in 1665 to protect the settlement on the Richelieu River in New France. The fort was built of wood, fell into disrepair and was rebuilt and some years later was destroyed by fire and rebuilt. Archeologist have excavated the site and found evidence of all three forts. In 1711, the current fort made of stone was constructed. The fort served in the Iroquois Wars, the Seven Years War and the War of 1812. Fort Chambly was used not only as a fort, but a storehouse and communication center. The fort was abandoned in the late 1800’s and degraded by weather and vandals, began to fall apart. Parks Canada took possession of the site and restored the old fort. Walking through the fort, you learn of its history and can see remnants of the excavations and artifacts found on site.
We also saw part of the rapids which the Chambly bypasses behind the fort.
After the fort excursion we walked into town and had lunch at a local bistro and walked through town. We discovered a chocolate shop and had to investigate. Found a treasure trove of goodies inside. Was hard to pick, but we settled on chocolate salted caramel and cashew turtles. I ate the dark chocolate ones, Bill ate the milk chocolate ones. We did manage to restrain ourselves so will have some for later.
Chambly is a town that caters to the boaters and tourists who come up from Montreal. There are many restaurants- French, Italian, Spanish and even Portuguese and Lebanese. Only a few shops that focused on textiles and clothing are on the Avenue Bourgogne. There are wonderful bike paths and parks all through the area which are used a lot by the locals. The town even had a rock concert in the park last night for free. It was all in French, so the words were lost to me, but I thought I’d recognize the tunes, but sadly I did not.
After our walk through town, I returned to the library to finish this blog and Bill returned to the post office. A cold front is blowing through so will head back to the boat to relax for the evening. Our only must do is to narrow down the places we want to see in Lake Champlain.
Exhausted Bill found a place to rest!
The picture above is taken of our boat from the park along the dock.
As a last note, we encountered the elusive minks that are all along the rivers here in Canada. They are small weasels which are red brown to dark brown in color often found swimming in the rivers and scampering along the banks. These minks used to be sought after for their fur. Sorry they are too fast for a picture so had to rely on the internet for these shots.
May be without internet for the next few days. Will keep you posted when I am reconnected.