Sorel-Tracy is a city in southwestern
QuebecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the geographical end point of the Lake Champlain Valley at the confluence of the
Richelieu RiverThe Richelieu River is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows from the north end of Lake Champlain about 171 km north, ending at the confluence with the St. Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec downstream and northeast of Montreal...
and the St. Lawrence River, on the western edge of
Lac Saint-PierreLac Saint-Pierre is a lake and nature reserve in Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Saint Lawrence River between Sorel-Tracy and Trois-Rivières, downstream and east of Montreal and forms part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The reserve includes shoreline, islands, wetlands.This seasonally-flooded...
downstream and east of nearby
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
. The population as of the
Canada 2006 CensusThe Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
was 34,076. The mayor is Marcel Robert. It is the seat of the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality.
The city is the result of a voluntary amalgamation in 2001 between two cities, Sorel and Tracy. The
Richelieu RiverThe Richelieu River is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows from the north end of Lake Champlain about 171 km north, ending at the confluence with the St. Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec downstream and northeast of Montreal...
separates the two communities; Tracy on the west shore and Sorel on the east shore. Sorel itself had annexed in 1992 the municipality of Saint-Pierre-de-Sorel which corresponds today to the southern part of its territory.
Sorel was founded in 1642 (for more infos, see History of Sorel). Tracy was founded on February 10th, 1954. Prior to 1954, Tracy was know as the
parishA parish is a territorial unit that was usually historically served by a local church. This administrative unit is typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of Sweden, United Methodist, and Presbyterian churches...
of Saint-Joseph de Sorel (not to be confused with the town of
Saint-Joseph-de-SorelSaint-Joseph-de-Sorel is a small city located north of Sorel-Tracy in the Regional county municipality of Pierre-De Saurel, in Montérégie, Quebec. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,686.-Population:Population trend-Language:...
, an independent municipality north of Tracy).
Sorel Tracy is known for its activities in the steel industry and
metallurgyMetallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
as well as for its
ferryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
linking the city to the village of Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola .
History of Sorel
Sorel is the fourth oldest city in the province of Quebec. Its formation began in 1642 when Charles Huault de Montmagny, first Governor and Lieutenant-Governor of
New FranceNew France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River, by Jacques Cartier in 1534, to the cession of New France to Spain and Britain in 1763...
, built
Fort RichelieuFort Richelieu is a historic fort in the Canadian province of Quebec. The fort is designated as a National Historic Site.The fort was established at the mouth of the Richelieu River, near the modern city of Sorel-Tracy, in 1641...
here as a defense for settlers and river travellers against the
IroquoisThe Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an indigenous people of North America. In the 16th century or earlier, the Iroquois came together in an association known as the Iroquois League, or the "League of Peace and Power"...
. In 1647, the original fort was destroyed by the Iroquois but it was rebuilt by the
Carignan-Salières RegimentThe Carignan-Salières Regiment was a French military unit formed by merging the Carignan Regiment and the Salières Regiment in 1659. The regiment began their existence in combat against the Ottoman Empire before being reorganized to consist of twenty-four companies before being sent to Canada in...
on the same site in 1665 .
The name Sorel comes from the first seigneur of the area, Pierre de Saurel. He was in command of a regiment of the
Carignan-SalièresThe Carignan-Salières Regiment was a French military unit formed by merging the Carignan Regiment and the Salières Regiment in 1659. The regiment began their existence in combat against the Ottoman Empire before being reorganized to consist of twenty-four companies before being sent to Canada in...
that came over in August of 1665. He was granted a seigneury by King Louis XIV in 1672, even though he had already built a manor house four years prior. The name Tracy comes from Lieutenant General
Alexander de Prouville, Sieur de TracyMarquis Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy was a French aristocrat, statesman, and military leader. He was the seigneur of Tracy-le-Val and Tracy-le-Mont...
, who was overall in command of the
Carignan-Salières RegimentThe Carignan-Salières Regiment was a French military unit formed by merging the Carignan Regiment and the Salières Regiment in 1659. The regiment began their existence in combat against the Ottoman Empire before being reorganized to consist of twenty-four companies before being sent to Canada in...
directly under the Governor.
It is in Sorel that the
Christmas treeThe Christmas tree is a decorated artificial or living tree, a popular tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. Normally an evergreen coniferous tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, a Christmas tree is decorated with Christmas lights and colourful ornaments during...
made its first appearance in
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
on
Christmas EveChristmas Eve, December 24, is the night before Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.-Western Churches:Many Roman Catholics and Anglicans traditionally celebrate a midnight Mass which begins sometime before midnight on Christmas Day; this ceremony, which is held in churches...
in 1781. After the visit of
Prince William Henry, Duke of GloucesterPrince William, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh KG PC FRS was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of George II and a younger brother of George III.-Early life:...
to Sorel in 1787 the town took the name of William-Henry, a name it retained until 1845.
It is probable that before the
American RevolutionThe American Revolution is the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America at first rejected the governance of the Parliament of Great Britain, and later the British monarchy itself, to become the sovereign United States of...
there were no English speaking people in Sorel. Although then merely a hamlet or village, this place was the scene of much activity. During 1776 large bodies of troops passed through and at times were stationed in the area; the German auxiliaries employed by England were quartered in Sorel as they arrived in the country. A letter from Governor
Frederick HaldimandSir Frederick Haldimand, KB was a military officer best known for his service in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War...
to Lord George Germain in October of 1778, written from his camp in Sorel where fortifications were in progress, indicates his proposed use of the Seigniory.
It is my intention therefore, if time and circumstances favour me, to make Sorel a place of strength with Permanent Works, as the importance of it deserves. The Seigneurie of this Place is vested in merchants residing in England and the Inhabitants of it, people remarkable for their courage and resolution, have distinguished themselves very much by their attachment to the Government even at a time the Rebels were Masters of that Country, in which account I think it would serve the King's interest to bestow some Public mark of favour upon them such as remitting them the Quitrents which they pay for their land, to the Seigneur, and the Seigneurie being to be sold, and the purchase would not exceed 13,000, having been offered for that sum, I submit to Your Lordship whether it would not be best to give orders to treat immediately with the Proprietors, Messrs. Greenwood and Higgins in London, both for enabling me to effect the purchase...
The purchase was eventually made in 1781 and Sorel became a clearing house for the steady stream of
LoyalistLoyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during and after the American Revolutionary War. They were often referred to as Tories, Royalists, or King's Men by the Patriots, those that supported the revolution...
refugees from the south. A certain number of them settled in Sorel, forming the nucleus of the English population. Another addition was Sorel being selected as one of the stations for "Military Invalids", or “Outside Chelsea Pensioners" as they were also called. These old soldiers and their dependents, numbering several hundreds, were sent to Sorel under the medical care of Dr. Christopher Carter.
The earliest efforts for the propagation of the Protestant religion in Canada were made in Sorel. The continued influx of Loyalists during the year 1783 into the Seigniory prompted the population to search out a permanent Minister, and so at the end of the year, a petition was sent to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, begging them to send a Minister of the Gospel to reside in the Seigniory.
Following the request, the Reverend John Doty embarked during the month of April 1784 at Gravesend, England, and arrived at Quebec in June, and at Sorel on the 4th July 1784, where he celebrated Divine Service and preached his first sermon. This is the date of the foundation of the Anglican parish in Sorel and the first
Anglican mission in CanadaThe Anglican Church of Canada is the sole Canadian representative of the Anglican Communion. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada...
.
The chapel where the faithful united was a wooden building located at the end of King Street, a few steps from the Richelieu market. This building had already served as a military storehouse.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Sorel was the home of
fur tradeThe fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur.-Russian fur trade:Before the colonization of the Americas, Russia was a major supplier of fur-pelts to Western Europe and parts of Asia. Fur was a major Russian export as trade developed in the early Middle...
rs. In 1819, the town's presbytery was declared dangerously unfit. The character of the town, however, would change dramatically over the next few decades, due to the arrival of two influential figures.
In the 1820s, Sorel was the site of the
Governor General of Lower CanadaThe Governor General of Canada is the viceregal representative in the federal jurisdiction of the Canadian monarch and head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, who is equally shared with 15 other sovereign nations in a form of personal union, but resides predominantly in her oldest realm,...
's governor's house, occupied
George Ramsay, the Lord DalhousieGeneral George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie GCB , styled Lord Ramsay until 1787, was a Scottish soldier and colonial administrator...
(after whom
Dalhousie UniversityDalhousie University is a university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. As the largest post-secondary educational institution in the Maritime Provinces it offers a wide array of programs, including a medical program and the Dalhousie Law School. The chancellor is Mr. Fred Fountain; Dr...
is named). Ramsay quickly purchased land in the area for agricultural improvement. The small town was, due to the Governor General's presence, a centre for the turbulent politics of that time; the period leading up to the
Lower Canada RebellionThe Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebecers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
. Locally, there was animosity between the
colonialColonialism is the building and maintaining of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. Sovereignty over the colony is claimed by the metropole...
governor and the other prominent local figure, parish
priestA priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities. Their office or position is the priesthood, a term which may also apply to such persons collectively.Priests and priestesses...
Jean-Baptiste KellyJean-Baptiste Kelly was a Québécois Roman Catholic vicar-general of Irish ancestry who was active in Lower Canada.-Early life and education:...
.
Kelly oversaw a number of improvements and changes during his years in the town. The "dangerous" presbytery was rebuilt by 1832 (using stone from the original). The town's name was changed from William-Henry back to Sorel in 1845. The parish
libraryA library is a collection of sources, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is housed; it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. In the more traditional sense, a library is a collection of books. It can mean the collection,...
was improved, containing four hundred volumes by 1846. In 1848 a monument to
temperanceA temperance movement is a social movement against the use of Alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence, or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation....
was built by the community, along with a society for the care of the poor and sick, and for the education of
girlA girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.-Etymology:...
s. Kelly retired in 1849, after the completion of a new presbytery, having turned the older one into a
collegeCollege is a term most often used today to denote degree awarding tertiary educational institution. More broadly, it can be the name of any group of colleagues, for example, an electoral college, a College of Arms or the College of Cardinals...
.
In 1839 two new residents were involved in a murder trial. George Holmes, who lived in town, was in
romanticRomance is a general term that refers to the attempt to express love with words or deeds. It also refers to a feeling of excitement associated with love....
pursuit of Joséphine d’Estimauville, who had been staying with family in William Henry. Holmes killed her husband Louis-Pascal-Achille Taché in the seigneury of
KamouraskaKamouraska is a municipality on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec, Canada. It is part of the Regional County Municipality of Kamouraska. It has been named one of the top 20 most beautiful villages in the province of Quebec.The area was first...
. Holmes fled to the United States of America, and d’Estimauville was acquitted of any involvement. In 1970,
Anne HébertAnne Hébert, CC, OQ of Sainte-Catherine-de-Fossambault, Quebec was a Canadian author and poet. Hébert's "Les Songes en Équilibre", 1942, was her first collection of poems published. Hébert was affiliated with Canada's first film bureau. She worked for Radio Canada, Film Board of Canada and...
wrote a book,
Kamouraska, about the affair, which was made into a
filmKamouraska is a 1973 Québécois film directed by Claude Jutra, based on the novel by Anne Hébert, who also worked as screenwriter.-Synopsis:The action is taking place in rural Québec in the mid 1800s....
in 1973 by Claude Jutra.
In 1875, a train accident on the Richelieu, Drummond, and Athabasca railroad line happened near Sorel.
Sorel was also the site of the construction of 3 out of 12
Halifax class frigateThe Halifax-class frigate is a class of multi-role patrol frigates that have served the Canadian Forces since 1992.The class is the name for the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project, which dates to the mid-1970s....
s of the
Canadian ForcesThe Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
. The three Canadian patrol frigates built in Quebec were
HMCS Ville de QuébecSeveral Canadian naval units have been named HMCS Ville de Quebec. was a Flower class corvette that served the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. is a Halifax class frigate serving the Canadian Forces from 1993 to present....
,
HMCS ReginaSeveral Canadian naval units have been named HMCS Regina. was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. is a Halifax class frigate that serves in the Canadian Forces....
and
HMCS CalgarySeveral Canadian naval units have been named HMCS Calgary. , a Flower class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Battle of the Atlantic. , a Halifax class frigate commissioned into the Canadian Forces in 1994....
. The shipyard in Sorel-Tracy was called
M.I.L. TracyMarine Industries Limited was a Canadian ship building company, in Sorel, Quebec, with a shipyard located on the Richelieu river about 1 km from the St. Lawrence River. It employed up to 10,000 people during the post WWII boom....
and built units for all three vessels and sent them by barge for final assembly at
M.I.L. DavieDavie Shipbuilding, currently MIL-Davie Shipbuilding, was a shipbuilding company in Lauzon, Quebec.Davie was founded in 1825 by Allison Davie, an English ship captain along the south shore of the St Lawrence River across from Quebec City....
in
Lauzon, QuebecLauzon is a former city in southern Quebec, Canada, located on the St. Lawrence River northeast of Lévis. Founded in 1910, Lauzon had a population of about 14,500 when it merged with Lévis in 1989...
.
Demographics
French-Canadians make more than 97% of the city's population. Less than 2% of the population is foreign-born or second generation immigrants.
Anglo-CanadiansAn English Canadian is a Canadian whose principal language is English or who is of English ancestry; it is used primarily in contrast with French Canadian. Canada is an officially bilingual and multicultural country, with French and English official language communities...
make less than 1% of Sorel-Tracy's inhabitants .
Population
Population trend
| Census |
Population |
Change (%) |
| 2006 |
34,076 |
0.3% |
| 2001 |
34,194 (+) |
29.70% |
| 1996 |
23,248 |
4.1% |
| 1991 |
24,253 |
N/A |
(+) Amalgamated with Tracy on March 15, 2000.
Language
Mother tongue language (2006)
| Language |
Population |
Pct (%) |
| French only |
32,210 |
97.40% |
| English only |
255 |
0.77% |
| Both English and French |
125 |
0.38% |
| Other languages |
480 |
1.45% |
Transportation
Sorel-Tracy is within of both
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
and
Trois-RivièresTrois-Rivières may refer to:*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec*Trois-Rivières, Guadeloupe, a commune of Guadeloupe...
, and is easily accessible via
Autoroute 30Autoroute 30 is a superhighway in Quebec, Canada.There are four segments currently open for travel:#An 8.3 km bypass of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield....
from the west and via
Route 132Route 132 is the longest highway in Quebec. It follows the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River from the border with the state of New York in the hamlet of Dundee , west of Montreal to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and circles the Gaspé Peninsula...
from the east and west. Autoroute 30 stops at Sorel and picks up again at Bécancour, leaving an incomplete segment in between.
A year-round ferry operates on the St. Lawrence River between Sorel-Tracy and Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola on the way to
BerthiervilleBerthierville is a Canadian town located between Montreal and Trois-Rivières on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in the province of Quebec. Population 3,939...
.
Surrounding municipalities
External links
Sorel-Tracy is a city in southwestern
QuebecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the geographical end point of the Lake Champlain Valley at the confluence of the
Richelieu RiverThe Richelieu River is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows from the north end of Lake Champlain about 171 km north, ending at the confluence with the St. Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec downstream and northeast of Montreal...
and the St. Lawrence River, on the western edge of
Lac Saint-PierreLac Saint-Pierre is a lake and nature reserve in Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Saint Lawrence River between Sorel-Tracy and Trois-Rivières, downstream and east of Montreal and forms part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The reserve includes shoreline, islands, wetlands.This seasonally-flooded...
downstream and east of nearby
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
. The population as of the
Canada 2006 CensusThe Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
was 34,076. The mayor is Marcel Robert. It is the seat of the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality.
The city is the result of a voluntary amalgamation in 2001 between two cities, Sorel and Tracy. The
Richelieu RiverThe Richelieu River is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows from the north end of Lake Champlain about 171 km north, ending at the confluence with the St. Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec downstream and northeast of Montreal...
separates the two communities; Tracy on the west shore and Sorel on the east shore. Sorel itself had annexed in 1992 the municipality of Saint-Pierre-de-Sorel which corresponds today to the southern part of its territory.
Sorel was founded in 1642 (for more infos, see History of Sorel). Tracy was founded on February 10th, 1954. Prior to 1954, Tracy was know as the
parishA parish is a territorial unit that was usually historically served by a local church. This administrative unit is typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of Sweden, United Methodist, and Presbyterian churches...
of Saint-Joseph de Sorel (not to be confused with the town of
Saint-Joseph-de-SorelSaint-Joseph-de-Sorel is a small city located north of Sorel-Tracy in the Regional county municipality of Pierre-De Saurel, in Montérégie, Quebec. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,686.-Population:Population trend-Language:...
, an independent municipality north of Tracy).
Sorel Tracy is known for its activities in the steel industry and
metallurgyMetallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
as well as for its
ferryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
linking the city to the village of Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola .
History of Sorel
Sorel is the fourth oldest city in the province of Quebec. Its formation began in 1642 when Charles Huault de Montmagny, first Governor and Lieutenant-Governor of
New FranceNew France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River, by Jacques Cartier in 1534, to the cession of New France to Spain and Britain in 1763...
, built
Fort RichelieuFort Richelieu is a historic fort in the Canadian province of Quebec. The fort is designated as a National Historic Site.The fort was established at the mouth of the Richelieu River, near the modern city of Sorel-Tracy, in 1641...
here as a defense for settlers and river travellers against the
IroquoisThe Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an indigenous people of North America. In the 16th century or earlier, the Iroquois came together in an association known as the Iroquois League, or the "League of Peace and Power"...
. In 1647, the original fort was destroyed by the Iroquois but it was rebuilt by the
Carignan-Salières RegimentThe Carignan-Salières Regiment was a French military unit formed by merging the Carignan Regiment and the Salières Regiment in 1659. The regiment began their existence in combat against the Ottoman Empire before being reorganized to consist of twenty-four companies before being sent to Canada in...
on the same site in 1665 .
The name Sorel comes from the first seigneur of the area, Pierre de Saurel. He was in command of a regiment of the
Carignan-SalièresThe Carignan-Salières Regiment was a French military unit formed by merging the Carignan Regiment and the Salières Regiment in 1659. The regiment began their existence in combat against the Ottoman Empire before being reorganized to consist of twenty-four companies before being sent to Canada in...
that came over in August of 1665. He was granted a seigneury by King Louis XIV in 1672, even though he had already built a manor house four years prior. The name Tracy comes from Lieutenant General
Alexander de Prouville, Sieur de TracyMarquis Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy was a French aristocrat, statesman, and military leader. He was the seigneur of Tracy-le-Val and Tracy-le-Mont...
, who was overall in command of the
Carignan-Salières RegimentThe Carignan-Salières Regiment was a French military unit formed by merging the Carignan Regiment and the Salières Regiment in 1659. The regiment began their existence in combat against the Ottoman Empire before being reorganized to consist of twenty-four companies before being sent to Canada in...
directly under the Governor.
It is in Sorel that the
Christmas treeThe Christmas tree is a decorated artificial or living tree, a popular tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. Normally an evergreen coniferous tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, a Christmas tree is decorated with Christmas lights and colourful ornaments during...
made its first appearance in
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
on
Christmas EveChristmas Eve, December 24, is the night before Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.-Western Churches:Many Roman Catholics and Anglicans traditionally celebrate a midnight Mass which begins sometime before midnight on Christmas Day; this ceremony, which is held in churches...
in 1781. After the visit of
Prince William Henry, Duke of GloucesterPrince William, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh KG PC FRS was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of George II and a younger brother of George III.-Early life:...
to Sorel in 1787 the town took the name of William-Henry, a name it retained until 1845.
It is probable that before the
American RevolutionThe American Revolution is the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America at first rejected the governance of the Parliament of Great Britain, and later the British monarchy itself, to become the sovereign United States of...
there were no English speaking people in Sorel. Although then merely a hamlet or village, this place was the scene of much activity. During 1776 large bodies of troops passed through and at times were stationed in the area; the German auxiliaries employed by England were quartered in Sorel as they arrived in the country. A letter from Governor
Frederick HaldimandSir Frederick Haldimand, KB was a military officer best known for his service in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War...
to Lord George Germain in October of 1778, written from his camp in Sorel where fortifications were in progress, indicates his proposed use of the Seigniory.
It is my intention therefore, if time and circumstances favour me, to make Sorel a place of strength with Permanent Works, as the importance of it deserves. The Seigneurie of this Place is vested in merchants residing in England and the Inhabitants of it, people remarkable for their courage and resolution, have distinguished themselves very much by their attachment to the Government even at a time the Rebels were Masters of that Country, in which account I think it would serve the King's interest to bestow some Public mark of favour upon them such as remitting them the Quitrents which they pay for their land, to the Seigneur, and the Seigneurie being to be sold, and the purchase would not exceed 13,000, having been offered for that sum, I submit to Your Lordship whether it would not be best to give orders to treat immediately with the Proprietors, Messrs. Greenwood and Higgins in London, both for enabling me to effect the purchase...
The purchase was eventually made in 1781 and Sorel became a clearing house for the steady stream of
LoyalistLoyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during and after the American Revolutionary War. They were often referred to as Tories, Royalists, or King's Men by the Patriots, those that supported the revolution...
refugees from the south. A certain number of them settled in Sorel, forming the nucleus of the English population. Another addition was Sorel being selected as one of the stations for "Military Invalids", or “Outside Chelsea Pensioners" as they were also called. These old soldiers and their dependents, numbering several hundreds, were sent to Sorel under the medical care of Dr. Christopher Carter.
The earliest efforts for the propagation of the Protestant religion in Canada were made in Sorel. The continued influx of Loyalists during the year 1783 into the Seigniory prompted the population to search out a permanent Minister, and so at the end of the year, a petition was sent to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, begging them to send a Minister of the Gospel to reside in the Seigniory.
Following the request, the Reverend John Doty embarked during the month of April 1784 at Gravesend, England, and arrived at Quebec in June, and at Sorel on the 4th July 1784, where he celebrated Divine Service and preached his first sermon. This is the date of the foundation of the Anglican parish in Sorel and the first
Anglican mission in CanadaThe Anglican Church of Canada is the sole Canadian representative of the Anglican Communion. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada...
.
The chapel where the faithful united was a wooden building located at the end of King Street, a few steps from the Richelieu market. This building had already served as a military storehouse.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Sorel was the home of
fur tradeThe fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur.-Russian fur trade:Before the colonization of the Americas, Russia was a major supplier of fur-pelts to Western Europe and parts of Asia. Fur was a major Russian export as trade developed in the early Middle...
rs. In 1819, the town's presbytery was declared dangerously unfit. The character of the town, however, would change dramatically over the next few decades, due to the arrival of two influential figures.
In the 1820s, Sorel was the site of the
Governor General of Lower CanadaThe Governor General of Canada is the viceregal representative in the federal jurisdiction of the Canadian monarch and head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, who is equally shared with 15 other sovereign nations in a form of personal union, but resides predominantly in her oldest realm,...
's governor's house, occupied
George Ramsay, the Lord DalhousieGeneral George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie GCB , styled Lord Ramsay until 1787, was a Scottish soldier and colonial administrator...
(after whom
Dalhousie UniversityDalhousie University is a university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. As the largest post-secondary educational institution in the Maritime Provinces it offers a wide array of programs, including a medical program and the Dalhousie Law School. The chancellor is Mr. Fred Fountain; Dr...
is named). Ramsay quickly purchased land in the area for agricultural improvement. The small town was, due to the Governor General's presence, a centre for the turbulent politics of that time; the period leading up to the
Lower Canada RebellionThe Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebecers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
. Locally, there was animosity between the
colonialColonialism is the building and maintaining of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. Sovereignty over the colony is claimed by the metropole...
governor and the other prominent local figure, parish
priestA priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities. Their office or position is the priesthood, a term which may also apply to such persons collectively.Priests and priestesses...
Jean-Baptiste KellyJean-Baptiste Kelly was a Québécois Roman Catholic vicar-general of Irish ancestry who was active in Lower Canada.-Early life and education:...
.
Kelly oversaw a number of improvements and changes during his years in the town. The "dangerous" presbytery was rebuilt by 1832 (using stone from the original). The town's name was changed from William-Henry back to Sorel in 1845. The parish
libraryA library is a collection of sources, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is housed; it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. In the more traditional sense, a library is a collection of books. It can mean the collection,...
was improved, containing four hundred volumes by 1846. In 1848 a monument to
temperanceA temperance movement is a social movement against the use of Alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence, or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation....
was built by the community, along with a society for the care of the poor and sick, and for the education of
girlA girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.-Etymology:...
s. Kelly retired in 1849, after the completion of a new presbytery, having turned the older one into a
collegeCollege is a term most often used today to denote degree awarding tertiary educational institution. More broadly, it can be the name of any group of colleagues, for example, an electoral college, a College of Arms or the College of Cardinals...
.
In 1839 two new residents were involved in a murder trial. George Holmes, who lived in town, was in
romanticRomance is a general term that refers to the attempt to express love with words or deeds. It also refers to a feeling of excitement associated with love....
pursuit of Joséphine d’Estimauville, who had been staying with family in William Henry. Holmes killed her husband Louis-Pascal-Achille Taché in the seigneury of
KamouraskaKamouraska is a municipality on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec, Canada. It is part of the Regional County Municipality of Kamouraska. It has been named one of the top 20 most beautiful villages in the province of Quebec.The area was first...
. Holmes fled to the United States of America, and d’Estimauville was acquitted of any involvement. In 1970,
Anne HébertAnne Hébert, CC, OQ of Sainte-Catherine-de-Fossambault, Quebec was a Canadian author and poet. Hébert's "Les Songes en Équilibre", 1942, was her first collection of poems published. Hébert was affiliated with Canada's first film bureau. She worked for Radio Canada, Film Board of Canada and...
wrote a book,
Kamouraska, about the affair, which was made into a
filmKamouraska is a 1973 Québécois film directed by Claude Jutra, based on the novel by Anne Hébert, who also worked as screenwriter.-Synopsis:The action is taking place in rural Québec in the mid 1800s....
in 1973 by Claude Jutra.
In 1875, a train accident on the Richelieu, Drummond, and Athabasca railroad line happened near Sorel.
Sorel was also the site of the construction of 3 out of 12
Halifax class frigateThe Halifax-class frigate is a class of multi-role patrol frigates that have served the Canadian Forces since 1992.The class is the name for the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project, which dates to the mid-1970s....
s of the
Canadian ForcesThe Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
. The three Canadian patrol frigates built in Quebec were
HMCS Ville de QuébecSeveral Canadian naval units have been named HMCS Ville de Quebec. was a Flower class corvette that served the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. is a Halifax class frigate serving the Canadian Forces from 1993 to present....
,
HMCS ReginaSeveral Canadian naval units have been named HMCS Regina. was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. is a Halifax class frigate that serves in the Canadian Forces....
and
HMCS CalgarySeveral Canadian naval units have been named HMCS Calgary. , a Flower class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Battle of the Atlantic. , a Halifax class frigate commissioned into the Canadian Forces in 1994....
. The shipyard in Sorel-Tracy was called
M.I.L. TracyMarine Industries Limited was a Canadian ship building company, in Sorel, Quebec, with a shipyard located on the Richelieu river about 1 km from the St. Lawrence River. It employed up to 10,000 people during the post WWII boom....
and built units for all three vessels and sent them by barge for final assembly at
M.I.L. DavieDavie Shipbuilding, currently MIL-Davie Shipbuilding, was a shipbuilding company in Lauzon, Quebec.Davie was founded in 1825 by Allison Davie, an English ship captain along the south shore of the St Lawrence River across from Quebec City....
in
Lauzon, QuebecLauzon is a former city in southern Quebec, Canada, located on the St. Lawrence River northeast of Lévis. Founded in 1910, Lauzon had a population of about 14,500 when it merged with Lévis in 1989...
.
Demographics
French-Canadians make more than 97% of the city's population. Less than 2% of the population is foreign-born or second generation immigrants.
Anglo-CanadiansAn English Canadian is a Canadian whose principal language is English or who is of English ancestry; it is used primarily in contrast with French Canadian. Canada is an officially bilingual and multicultural country, with French and English official language communities...
make less than 1% of Sorel-Tracy's inhabitants .
Population
Population trend
| Census |
Population |
Change (%) |
| 2006 |
34,076 |
{{loss}}0.3% |
| 2001 |
34,194 (+) |
{{profit}}29.70% |
| 1996 |
23,248 |
{{loss}}4.1% |
| 1991 |
24,253 |
N/A |
(+) Amalgamated with Tracy on March 15, 2000.
Language
Mother tongue language (2006)
| Language |
Population |
Pct (%) |
| French only |
32,210 |
97.40% |
| English only |
255 |
0.77% |
| Both English and French |
125 |
0.38% |
| Other languages |
480 |
1.45% |
Transportation
Sorel-Tracy is within {{km to mi|75}} of both
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
and
Trois-RivièresTrois-Rivières may refer to:*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec*Trois-Rivières, Guadeloupe, a commune of Guadeloupe...
, and is easily accessible via
Autoroute 30Autoroute 30 is a superhighway in Quebec, Canada.There are four segments currently open for travel:#An 8.3 km bypass of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield....
from the west and via
Route 132Route 132 is the longest highway in Quebec. It follows the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River from the border with the state of New York in the hamlet of Dundee , west of Montreal to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and circles the Gaspé Peninsula...
from the east and west. Autoroute 30 stops at Sorel and picks up again at Bécancour, leaving an incomplete segment in between.
A year-round ferry operates on the St. Lawrence River between Sorel-Tracy and Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola on the way to
BerthiervilleBerthierville is a Canadian town located between Montreal and Trois-Rivières on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in the province of Quebec. Population 3,939...
.
Surrounding municipalities
{{Canadian City Geographic Location (8-way)
| Northwest =
Saint-Joseph-de-SorelSaint-Joseph-de-Sorel is a small city located north of Sorel-Tracy in the Regional county municipality of Pierre-De Saurel, in Montérégie, Quebec. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,686.-Population:Population trend-Language:...
| North = Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola,
Saint Lawrence RiverThe 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. It is the primary drainage of the Great Lakes Basin...
| Northeast =
Sainte-Anne-de-SorelSainte-Anne-de-Sorel is a municipality in the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality, in the Montérégie region of Quebec. The community consists of a mainland section along with several islands extending into Lac Saint-Pierre...
| West = Lanoraie,
Saint Lawrence RiverThe 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. It is the primary drainage of the Great Lakes Basin...
|Centre = Sorel_Tracy
| East =
YamaskaYamaska is a municipality in the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality, in the Montérégie region of Quebec. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,643.-Population:Population trend...
| Southwest = Contrecœur,
Saint-Roch-de-RichelieuSaint-Roch-de-Richelieu is a municipality located in the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality of Québec , in the administrative region of Montérégie. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,870.-Population:Population trend...
,
Saint-OursSaint-Ours is a town located in the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality of Québec , in the administrative region of Montérégie. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,700.-Population:Population trend-Language:...
| South =
Sainte-Victoire-de-SorelSainte-Victoire-de-Sorel is a parish municipality located in the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality of Québec , in the administrative region of Montérégie. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 2,410.-Population:...
| Southeast =
Saint-RobertSaint-Robert is a municipality southeast of Sorel-Tracy in the Regional county municipality of Pierre-De Saurel, in Montérégie, Quebec. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,713.-Population:Population trend-Language:...
}}
External links
Sorel-Tracy is a city in southwestern
QuebecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the geographical end point of the Lake Champlain Valley at the confluence of the
Richelieu RiverThe Richelieu River is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows from the north end of Lake Champlain about 171 km north, ending at the confluence with the St. Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec downstream and northeast of Montreal...
and the St. Lawrence River, on the western edge of
Lac Saint-PierreLac Saint-Pierre is a lake and nature reserve in Quebec, Canada. It is located on the Saint Lawrence River between Sorel-Tracy and Trois-Rivières, downstream and east of Montreal and forms part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The reserve includes shoreline, islands, wetlands.This seasonally-flooded...
downstream and east of nearby
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
. The population as of the
Canada 2006 CensusThe Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
was 34,076. The mayor is Marcel Robert. It is the seat of the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality.
The city is the result of a voluntary amalgamation in 2001 between two cities, Sorel and Tracy. The
Richelieu RiverThe Richelieu River is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows from the north end of Lake Champlain about 171 km north, ending at the confluence with the St. Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec downstream and northeast of Montreal...
separates the two communities; Tracy on the west shore and Sorel on the east shore. Sorel itself had annexed in 1992 the municipality of Saint-Pierre-de-Sorel which corresponds today to the southern part of its territory.
Sorel was founded in 1642 (for more infos, see History of Sorel). Tracy was founded on February 10th, 1954. Prior to 1954, Tracy was know as the
parishA parish is a territorial unit that was usually historically served by a local church. This administrative unit is typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of Sweden, United Methodist, and Presbyterian churches...
of Saint-Joseph de Sorel (not to be confused with the town of
Saint-Joseph-de-SorelSaint-Joseph-de-Sorel is a small city located north of Sorel-Tracy in the Regional county municipality of Pierre-De Saurel, in Montérégie, Quebec. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,686.-Population:Population trend-Language:...
, an independent municipality north of Tracy).
Sorel Tracy is known for its activities in the steel industry and
metallurgyMetallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
as well as for its
ferryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
linking the city to the village of Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola .
History of Sorel
Sorel is the fourth oldest city in the province of Quebec. Its formation began in 1642 when Charles Huault de Montmagny, first Governor and Lieutenant-Governor of
New FranceNew France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River, by Jacques Cartier in 1534, to the cession of New France to Spain and Britain in 1763...
, built
Fort RichelieuFort Richelieu is a historic fort in the Canadian province of Quebec. The fort is designated as a National Historic Site.The fort was established at the mouth of the Richelieu River, near the modern city of Sorel-Tracy, in 1641...
here as a defense for settlers and river travellers against the
IroquoisThe Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an indigenous people of North America. In the 16th century or earlier, the Iroquois came together in an association known as the Iroquois League, or the "League of Peace and Power"...
. In 1647, the original fort was destroyed by the Iroquois but it was rebuilt by the
Carignan-Salières RegimentThe Carignan-Salières Regiment was a French military unit formed by merging the Carignan Regiment and the Salières Regiment in 1659. The regiment began their existence in combat against the Ottoman Empire before being reorganized to consist of twenty-four companies before being sent to Canada in...
on the same site in 1665 .
The name Sorel comes from the first seigneur of the area, Pierre de Saurel. He was in command of a regiment of the
Carignan-SalièresThe Carignan-Salières Regiment was a French military unit formed by merging the Carignan Regiment and the Salières Regiment in 1659. The regiment began their existence in combat against the Ottoman Empire before being reorganized to consist of twenty-four companies before being sent to Canada in...
that came over in August of 1665. He was granted a seigneury by King Louis XIV in 1672, even though he had already built a manor house four years prior. The name Tracy comes from Lieutenant General
Alexander de Prouville, Sieur de TracyMarquis Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy was a French aristocrat, statesman, and military leader. He was the seigneur of Tracy-le-Val and Tracy-le-Mont...
, who was overall in command of the
Carignan-Salières RegimentThe Carignan-Salières Regiment was a French military unit formed by merging the Carignan Regiment and the Salières Regiment in 1659. The regiment began their existence in combat against the Ottoman Empire before being reorganized to consist of twenty-four companies before being sent to Canada in...
directly under the Governor.
It is in Sorel that the
Christmas treeThe Christmas tree is a decorated artificial or living tree, a popular tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. Normally an evergreen coniferous tree that is brought into a home or used in the open, a Christmas tree is decorated with Christmas lights and colourful ornaments during...
made its first appearance in
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
on
Christmas EveChristmas Eve, December 24, is the night before Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.-Western Churches:Many Roman Catholics and Anglicans traditionally celebrate a midnight Mass which begins sometime before midnight on Christmas Day; this ceremony, which is held in churches...
in 1781. After the visit of
Prince William Henry, Duke of GloucesterPrince William, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh KG PC FRS was a member of the British Royal Family, a grandson of George II and a younger brother of George III.-Early life:...
to Sorel in 1787 the town took the name of William-Henry, a name it retained until 1845.
It is probable that before the
American RevolutionThe American Revolution is the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America at first rejected the governance of the Parliament of Great Britain, and later the British monarchy itself, to become the sovereign United States of...
there were no English speaking people in Sorel. Although then merely a hamlet or village, this place was the scene of much activity. During 1776 large bodies of troops passed through and at times were stationed in the area; the German auxiliaries employed by England were quartered in Sorel as they arrived in the country. A letter from Governor
Frederick HaldimandSir Frederick Haldimand, KB was a military officer best known for his service in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War...
to Lord George Germain in October of 1778, written from his camp in Sorel where fortifications were in progress, indicates his proposed use of the Seigniory.
It is my intention therefore, if time and circumstances favour me, to make Sorel a place of strength with Permanent Works, as the importance of it deserves. The Seigneurie of this Place is vested in merchants residing in England and the Inhabitants of it, people remarkable for their courage and resolution, have distinguished themselves very much by their attachment to the Government even at a time the Rebels were Masters of that Country, in which account I think it would serve the King's interest to bestow some Public mark of favour upon them such as remitting them the Quitrents which they pay for their land, to the Seigneur, and the Seigneurie being to be sold, and the purchase would not exceed 13,000, having been offered for that sum, I submit to Your Lordship whether it would not be best to give orders to treat immediately with the Proprietors, Messrs. Greenwood and Higgins in London, both for enabling me to effect the purchase...
The purchase was eventually made in 1781 and Sorel became a clearing house for the steady stream of
LoyalistLoyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during and after the American Revolutionary War. They were often referred to as Tories, Royalists, or King's Men by the Patriots, those that supported the revolution...
refugees from the south. A certain number of them settled in Sorel, forming the nucleus of the English population. Another addition was Sorel being selected as one of the stations for "Military Invalids", or “Outside Chelsea Pensioners" as they were also called. These old soldiers and their dependents, numbering several hundreds, were sent to Sorel under the medical care of Dr. Christopher Carter.
The earliest efforts for the propagation of the Protestant religion in Canada were made in Sorel. The continued influx of Loyalists during the year 1783 into the Seigniory prompted the population to search out a permanent Minister, and so at the end of the year, a petition was sent to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, begging them to send a Minister of the Gospel to reside in the Seigniory.
Following the request, the Reverend John Doty embarked during the month of April 1784 at Gravesend, England, and arrived at Quebec in June, and at Sorel on the 4th July 1784, where he celebrated Divine Service and preached his first sermon. This is the date of the foundation of the Anglican parish in Sorel and the first
Anglican mission in CanadaThe Anglican Church of Canada is the sole Canadian representative of the Anglican Communion. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada...
.
The chapel where the faithful united was a wooden building located at the end of King Street, a few steps from the Richelieu market. This building had already served as a military storehouse.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Sorel was the home of
fur tradeThe fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur.-Russian fur trade:Before the colonization of the Americas, Russia was a major supplier of fur-pelts to Western Europe and parts of Asia. Fur was a major Russian export as trade developed in the early Middle...
rs. In 1819, the town's presbytery was declared dangerously unfit. The character of the town, however, would change dramatically over the next few decades, due to the arrival of two influential figures.
In the 1820s, Sorel was the site of the
Governor General of Lower CanadaThe Governor General of Canada is the viceregal representative in the federal jurisdiction of the Canadian monarch and head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, who is equally shared with 15 other sovereign nations in a form of personal union, but resides predominantly in her oldest realm,...
's governor's house, occupied
George Ramsay, the Lord DalhousieGeneral George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie GCB , styled Lord Ramsay until 1787, was a Scottish soldier and colonial administrator...
(after whom
Dalhousie UniversityDalhousie University is a university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. As the largest post-secondary educational institution in the Maritime Provinces it offers a wide array of programs, including a medical program and the Dalhousie Law School. The chancellor is Mr. Fred Fountain; Dr...
is named). Ramsay quickly purchased land in the area for agricultural improvement. The small town was, due to the Governor General's presence, a centre for the turbulent politics of that time; the period leading up to the
Lower Canada RebellionThe Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebecers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
. Locally, there was animosity between the
colonialColonialism is the building and maintaining of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. Sovereignty over the colony is claimed by the metropole...
governor and the other prominent local figure, parish
priestA priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities. Their office or position is the priesthood, a term which may also apply to such persons collectively.Priests and priestesses...
Jean-Baptiste KellyJean-Baptiste Kelly was a Québécois Roman Catholic vicar-general of Irish ancestry who was active in Lower Canada.-Early life and education:...
.
Kelly oversaw a number of improvements and changes during his years in the town. The "dangerous" presbytery was rebuilt by 1832 (using stone from the original). The town's name was changed from William-Henry back to Sorel in 1845. The parish
libraryA library is a collection of sources, resources, and services, and the structure in which it is housed; it is organized for use and maintained by a public body, an institution, or a private individual. In the more traditional sense, a library is a collection of books. It can mean the collection,...
was improved, containing four hundred volumes by 1846. In 1848 a monument to
temperanceA temperance movement is a social movement against the use of Alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence, or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation....
was built by the community, along with a society for the care of the poor and sick, and for the education of
girlA girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.-Etymology:...
s. Kelly retired in 1849, after the completion of a new presbytery, having turned the older one into a
collegeCollege is a term most often used today to denote degree awarding tertiary educational institution. More broadly, it can be the name of any group of colleagues, for example, an electoral college, a College of Arms or the College of Cardinals...
.
In 1839 two new residents were involved in a murder trial. George Holmes, who lived in town, was in
romanticRomance is a general term that refers to the attempt to express love with words or deeds. It also refers to a feeling of excitement associated with love....
pursuit of Joséphine d’Estimauville, who had been staying with family in William Henry. Holmes killed her husband Louis-Pascal-Achille Taché in the seigneury of
KamouraskaKamouraska is a municipality on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec, Canada. It is part of the Regional County Municipality of Kamouraska. It has been named one of the top 20 most beautiful villages in the province of Quebec.The area was first...
. Holmes fled to the United States of America, and d’Estimauville was acquitted of any involvement. In 1970,
Anne HébertAnne Hébert, CC, OQ of Sainte-Catherine-de-Fossambault, Quebec was a Canadian author and poet. Hébert's "Les Songes en Équilibre", 1942, was her first collection of poems published. Hébert was affiliated with Canada's first film bureau. She worked for Radio Canada, Film Board of Canada and...
wrote a book,
Kamouraska, about the affair, which was made into a
filmKamouraska is a 1973 Québécois film directed by Claude Jutra, based on the novel by Anne Hébert, who also worked as screenwriter.-Synopsis:The action is taking place in rural Québec in the mid 1800s....
in 1973 by Claude Jutra.
In 1875, a train accident on the Richelieu, Drummond, and Athabasca railroad line happened near Sorel.
Sorel was also the site of the construction of 3 out of 12
Halifax class frigateThe Halifax-class frigate is a class of multi-role patrol frigates that have served the Canadian Forces since 1992.The class is the name for the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project, which dates to the mid-1970s....
s of the
Canadian ForcesThe Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
. The three Canadian patrol frigates built in Quebec were
HMCS Ville de QuébecSeveral Canadian naval units have been named HMCS Ville de Quebec. was a Flower class corvette that served the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. is a Halifax class frigate serving the Canadian Forces from 1993 to present....
,
HMCS ReginaSeveral Canadian naval units have been named HMCS Regina. was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. is a Halifax class frigate that serves in the Canadian Forces....
and
HMCS CalgarySeveral Canadian naval units have been named HMCS Calgary. , a Flower class corvette that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Battle of the Atlantic. , a Halifax class frigate commissioned into the Canadian Forces in 1994....
. The shipyard in Sorel-Tracy was called
M.I.L. TracyMarine Industries Limited was a Canadian ship building company, in Sorel, Quebec, with a shipyard located on the Richelieu river about 1 km from the St. Lawrence River. It employed up to 10,000 people during the post WWII boom....
and built units for all three vessels and sent them by barge for final assembly at
M.I.L. DavieDavie Shipbuilding, currently MIL-Davie Shipbuilding, was a shipbuilding company in Lauzon, Quebec.Davie was founded in 1825 by Allison Davie, an English ship captain along the south shore of the St Lawrence River across from Quebec City....
in
Lauzon, QuebecLauzon is a former city in southern Quebec, Canada, located on the St. Lawrence River northeast of Lévis. Founded in 1910, Lauzon had a population of about 14,500 when it merged with Lévis in 1989...
.
Demographics
French-Canadians make more than 97% of the city's population. Less than 2% of the population is foreign-born or second generation immigrants.
Anglo-CanadiansAn English Canadian is a Canadian whose principal language is English or who is of English ancestry; it is used primarily in contrast with French Canadian. Canada is an officially bilingual and multicultural country, with French and English official language communities...
make less than 1% of Sorel-Tracy's inhabitants .
Population
Population trend
| Census |
Population |
Change (%) |
| 2006 |
34,076 |
{{loss}}0.3% |
| 2001 |
34,194 (+) |
{{profit}}29.70% |
| 1996 |
23,248 |
{{loss}}4.1% |
| 1991 |
24,253 |
N/A |
(+) Amalgamated with Tracy on March 15, 2000.
Language
Mother tongue language (2006)
| Language |
Population |
Pct (%) |
| French only |
32,210 |
97.40% |
| English only |
255 |
0.77% |
| Both English and French |
125 |
0.38% |
| Other languages |
480 |
1.45% |
Transportation
Sorel-Tracy is within {{km to mi|75}} of both
MontrealMontreal is the second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec. Originally called Ville-Marie , the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the...
and
Trois-RivièresTrois-Rivières may refer to:*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec*Trois-Rivières, Guadeloupe, a commune of Guadeloupe...
, and is easily accessible via
Autoroute 30Autoroute 30 is a superhighway in Quebec, Canada.There are four segments currently open for travel:#An 8.3 km bypass of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield....
from the west and via
Route 132Route 132 is the longest highway in Quebec. It follows the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River from the border with the state of New York in the hamlet of Dundee , west of Montreal to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and circles the Gaspé Peninsula...
from the east and west. Autoroute 30 stops at Sorel and picks up again at Bécancour, leaving an incomplete segment in between.
A year-round ferry operates on the St. Lawrence River between Sorel-Tracy and Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola on the way to
BerthiervilleBerthierville is a Canadian town located between Montreal and Trois-Rivières on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in the province of Quebec. Population 3,939...
.
Surrounding municipalities
{{Canadian City Geographic Location (8-way)
| Northwest =
Saint-Joseph-de-SorelSaint-Joseph-de-Sorel is a small city located north of Sorel-Tracy in the Regional county municipality of Pierre-De Saurel, in Montérégie, Quebec. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,686.-Population:Population trend-Language:...
| North = Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola,
Saint Lawrence RiverThe 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. It is the primary drainage of the Great Lakes Basin...
| Northeast =
Sainte-Anne-de-SorelSainte-Anne-de-Sorel is a municipality in the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality, in the Montérégie region of Quebec. The community consists of a mainland section along with several islands extending into Lac Saint-Pierre...
| West = Lanoraie,
Saint Lawrence RiverThe 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. It is the primary drainage of the Great Lakes Basin...
|Centre = Sorel_Tracy
| East =
YamaskaYamaska is a municipality in the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality, in the Montérégie region of Quebec. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,643.-Population:Population trend...
| Southwest = Contrecœur,
Saint-Roch-de-RichelieuSaint-Roch-de-Richelieu is a municipality located in the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality of Québec , in the administrative region of Montérégie. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,870.-Population:Population trend...
,
Saint-OursSaint-Ours is a town located in the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality of Québec , in the administrative region of Montérégie. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,700.-Population:Population trend-Language:...
| South =
Sainte-Victoire-de-SorelSainte-Victoire-de-Sorel is a parish municipality located in the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality of Québec , in the administrative region of Montérégie. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 2,410.-Population:...
| Southeast =
Saint-RobertSaint-Robert is a municipality southeast of Sorel-Tracy in the Regional county municipality of Pierre-De Saurel, in Montérégie, Quebec. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,713.-Population:Population trend-Language:...
}}
External links
{{Geographic Location (8-way)
| Northwest =
Saint-Joseph-de-SorelSaint-Joseph-de-Sorel is a small city located north of Sorel-Tracy in the Regional county municipality of Pierre-De Saurel, in Montérégie, Quebec. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,686.-Population:Population trend-Language:...
| North =
{{blueThe 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. It is the primary drainage of the Great Lakes Basin...
/ Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola
| Northeast = Sainte-Anne-de-SorelSainte-Anne-de-Sorel is a municipality in the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality, in the Montérégie region of Quebec. The community consists of a mainland section along with several islands extending into Lac Saint-Pierre...
| West = {{blueThe 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. It is the primary drainage of the Great Lakes Basin...
/ Sainte-Geneviève-de-Berthier / Lanoraie
| Centre = Sorel-Tracy
| East =
Saint-RobertSaint-Robert is a municipality southeast of Sorel-Tracy in the Regional county municipality of Pierre-De Saurel, in Montérégie, Quebec. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,713.-Population:Population trend-Language:...
| Southwest =
ContrecoeurContrecœur is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 5,678...
/
Saint-Roch-de-RichelieuSaint-Roch-de-Richelieu is a municipality located in the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality of Québec , in the administrative region of Montérégie. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,870.-Population:Population trend...
| South =
Sainte-Victoire-de-SorelSainte-Victoire-de-Sorel is a parish municipality located in the Pierre-De Saurel Regional County Municipality of Québec , in the administrative region of Montérégie. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 2,410.-Population:...
| Southeast =
}}
{{Administrative divisions of Quebec region|Montérégie}}
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