Lachine Rapids

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Lachine Rapids

The Lachine Rapids are a series of rapid

Rapid

File:Rapids.jpgFile:!downstream river1.jpgA rapid is a section of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep stream gradient causing an increase in water [velocity and turbulence....
s on the Saint Lawrence River

Saint Lawrence River

Saint Lawrence River is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean....
, between the Island of Montreal

Island of Montreal

The Island of Montreal , in extreme southwestern Quebec, Canada, is located at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence River and Ottawa River Rivers....
and the south shore. They are located near the former city of Lachine

Lachine, Quebec

Lachine was a city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is now a borough within the city of Montreal.Geography...
.

The Lachine Rapids contain large standing waves because the water volume and current do not change with respect to the permanent features in the riverbed, namely its shelf-like drops. Seasonal variation in the water flow does not change the position of the waves, although it does change their size and shape.

In the past these represented a considerable barrier to maritime traffic.

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Encyclopedia

The Lachine Rapids are a series of rapid

Rapid

Saint Lawrence River

Island of Montreal

Lachine, Quebec

Lachine Canal

The Lachine Canal is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running 14.5 kilometres from the Old Port of Montreal to Lake Saint-Louis, through the boroughs of Lachine and LaSalle, Quebec....
through Montreal, the rapids had to be portage

Portage

Portage refers to the practice of carrying a canoe or other boat over land to avoid an obstacle on the water route , or between two bodies of water ....
d. Even with the canal, the difficulty was such that it was usually more convenient to ship goods by rail to Montreal, where they could be loaded at the city's port. Montreal was long a major rail hub and Canada's largest port for that reason.

The Lachine Rapids are now passed by the South Shore Canal (Saint-Lambert and Côte Sainte-Catherine locks) of the Saint Lawrence Seaway

Saint Lawrence Seaway

The St. Lawrence Seaway is the common name for a system of canals that permits ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the North American Great Lakes, as far as Lake Superior....
.

Wildlife

The rapids contain a number of islands used by migratory birds.

History

The first Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
an to see the rapids was Jacques Cartier

Jacques Cartier

Jacques Cartier was a French explorer who claimed what is now Canada for France. He was the first non-Aboriginal peoples in Canada to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he Name of Canada", after the Iroquoian languages word the local natives used for the two big St....
, who sailed up the St. Lawrence River in 1535, believing he had found the Northwest Passage

Northwest Passage

The Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
. In 1611 Samuel de Champlain named the rapids Sault Saint-Louis, after a crewman who drowned here; the name later extended to Lac Saint-Louis. This name remained in use until the mid-19th century, but later came to be replaced by the name of the adjacent town of Lachine

Lachine, Quebec

Lachine was a city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is now a borough within the city of Montreal.Geography...
.

The first person to design a ship capable of shooting the Lachine Rapids was shipbuilder and carpenter John McQuaid, a County Armagh, Ireland native who later settled in Kingston, Ontario with his family.

Recreational activities

Whitewater rafting and jet boat expeditions to the rapids are available in Montreal. Whitewater kayaking

Whitewater kayaking

Whitewater kayaking is the sport of paddling a kayak on a moving body of water, typically a whitewater river. Whitewater kayaking can range from simple, carefree gently moving water, to demanding, dangerous whitewater....
has become popular, along with river surfing

River surfing

River surfing is the sport of surfing either standing waves or tidal bores in rivers. Claims for its origins include a 1955 ride of 1.5 miles along the tidal bore of the River Severn....
, on a standing wave adjacent to Habitat '67

Habitat '67

Habitat 67 is a housing complex and landmark located on the Marc-Drouin Quay on the Saint Lawrence River at 2600, Pierre Dupuy Avenue in Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
complex .