Saint Helen's Island () is an island in the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

, in the territory of the city of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. It forms part of the

Hochelaga Archipelago The Hochelaga Archipelago (), also known as the Montreal Islands, is a group of 234 islands at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa rivers in the southwestern part of the province of Quebec, Canada. Population As of 1 July 2021, ...

. It is situated immediately offshore from

Old Montreal Old Montreal (, ) is a historic List of neighbourhoods in Montreal, neighbourhood within the List of municipalities in Quebec, municipality of Montreal in the province of Quebec, Canada. Home to the Old Port of Montreal, the neighbourhood is b ...

on the southeastern side of the

Island of Montreal The Island of Montreal (, ) is an island in southwestern Quebec, Canada, which is the site of a number of municipalities, including most of the city of Montreal, and is the most populous island in Canada. It is the main island of the Hochelag ...

in southwestern Quebec, and is part of the central borough of Ville-Marie. The Le Moyne Channel separates it from

Notre Dame Island Notre Dame Island () is an artificial island in the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is immediately to the east of Saint Helen's Island and west of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the city of Saint-Lambert on the south sh ...

. Saint Helen's Island and Notre Dame Island together make up

Jean-Drapeau Park Jean Drapeau Park (formerly called ''Parc des Îles'') is the third-largest park in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises two islands, Saint Helen's Island and the artificial island Notre Dame Island, situated off the shore of Old Montreal in ...

(formerly Parc des Îles). It was named in 1611 by

Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain (; 13 August 1574#Fichier]For a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see #Ritch, RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December ...

in honour of his wife, Hélène de Champlain, née Boullé. The island belonged to the Le Moyne family of

Longueuil Longueuil () is a city in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is the seat of the Montérégie, Montérégie administrative region and the central city of the urban agglomeration of Longueuil. It sits on the South Shore (Montreal), south shore o ...

from 1665 until 1818, when it was purchased by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

government. A fort ( Saint Helen Island Fort), powderhouse and blockhouse were built on the island as defences for the city, in consequence of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

History

In 1838 plans were in place by the British

Ordnance Department The United States Army Ordnance Corps, formerly the United States Army Ordnance Department, is a sustainment branch of the United States Army, headquartered at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia. The broad mission of the Ordnance Corps is to supply A ...

to establish an observatory, but it was moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

instead. The newly formed Canadian government acquired the island in 1870; it was converted into a public park in 1874. The public used it as a beach and swam in the river. In the 1940s, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Saint Helen's Island, along with various other regions within Canada, such as the

Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (, ) is a region in Quebec, Canada on the Labrador Peninsula. It contains the Saguenay Fjord, the estuary of the Saguenay River, stretching through much of the region. It is also known as Sagamie in French, from the fi ...

and

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

, Quebec had

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured as Prisoner of war, prisoners of war by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, inte ...

s. St. Helen's prison was number 47 and remained unnamed just like most of Canada's other war prisons. The

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

(POWs) were sorted and classified into categories, including their nationality and civilian or military status. In this camp, POWs were mostly of Italian and German nationality. Also, prisoners were forced into hard labour which included farming and lumbering the land. In 1944, the camp was closed and shortly afterwards destroyed because of an internal report on the treatment of prisoners. The archipelago of which Saint Helen's Island is a part was chosen as the site of

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 28 to October 29, 1967. It was a category one world's fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most s ...

, a

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

on the theme of ''Man and His World'', or in

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

, ''Terre des Hommes''. In preparation for Expo 67, the island was greatly enlarged and consolidated with several nearby islands, using earth excavated during the construction of the

Montreal Metro The Montreal Metro (, ) is a rubber-tired underground rapid transit system serving Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The metro, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was inaugurated on October 14, 1966, during the tenure ...

. The nearby island,

, was built from scratch. After Expo 67, the site continued to be used as a fairground, now under the name Man and His World or ''Terre des Hommes''. Most of the expo installations were dismantled and the island was returned to parkland.

Visitor attractions

Several important attractions are found on the island, including the Saint Helen Island Fort, the La Ronde amusement park, the

Biosphere The biosphere (), also called the ecosphere (), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed the zone of life on the Earth. The biosphere (which is technically a spherical shell) is virtually a closed system with regard to mat ...

(an interpretative museum about the Saint Lawrence River installed in the former American Pavilion from Expo), and an Aquatic Complex (French: ''Complexe aquatique de l'île Sainte-Hélène'') that includes three exterior pools. The park is a primary recreational site for Montrealers and hosts frequent concerts and shows, including the

L'International des Feux Loto-Québec The Montreal Fireworks Festival (), is the largest fireworks competition in the world. It has been held yearly in La Ronde over the Dolphin Lake since 1985 and is named after its main sponsor, Loto-Québec. It hosts an estimated 3 million specta ...

international

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

competition and the annual Osheaga music festival. As of 2022, it will be the home of Lasso Montreal, a brand new

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

themed festival that was originally intended to debut in 2020 but was postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Montreal. During the summer season, on Sundays, there are live DJs at the Piknic Elektronic event. The

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, also spelled ''Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve'' (), is a motor racing Race track, circuit on Notre Dame Island in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the venue for the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA Form ...

, a 4,361-metre long car-racing track, is also located on the island. It has played host to the

Canadian Grand Prix The Canadian Grand Prix () is an annual motor racing event held since 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967. It was first staged at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, as a sports car event, before alterna ...

since 1978.

Transportation

The island can be accessed by public transit, by car, by bicycle or by foot. The Concordia Bridge links St. Helen's Island to Montreal's

Cité du Havre Cité du Havre () is a neighbourhood in the borough of Ville-Marie of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located on a narrow man-made peninsula, the Mackay Pier (''Jetée Mackay''), which was largely built to protect the Old Port of Montr ...

neighbourhood on the

as well as Notre Dame Island (which itself is connected to Saint-Lambert on the south shore by bicycle paths). The island is also accessible via the

Jacques Cartier Bridge The Jacques Cartier Bridge () is a steel truss cantilever bridge crossing the Saint Lawrence River from Montreal Island, Montreal, Quebec, to the South Shore (Montreal), south shore at Longueuil, Quebec, Canada. The bridge crosses Saint Helen's ...

from both the Island of Montreal and

on the south shore. The Yellow Line of the Montreal Metro has a stop on St. Helen's Island:

Jean-Drapeau station Jean-Drapeau station is a Montreal Metro station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) and serves the 4 - Yellow Line. It is situated on the Saint Helen's Island in the Saint Lawrence Rive ...

Gallery

File:Picnics. St. Helen's Island BAnQ P48S1P03043.jpg, Picnic on Saint Helen's Island, 1938 File:Beach Scenes. At St.Helen's Island BAnQ P48S1P02107.jpg, Beach scene, 1938 File:Oeuvre de Calder.jpg, ''Man'', a sculpture by

Alexander Calder Alexander "Sandy" Calder (; July 22, 1898 – November 11, 1976) was an American sculptor known both for his innovative mobile (sculpture), mobiles (kinetic sculptures powered by motors or air currents) that embrace chance in their aesthetic, hi ...

, on Saint Helen's Island File:Phare du Cosmos hiver 2014.jpg, "Le Phare du Cosmos" (1967) by Yves Trudeau (created for

) in Saint Helen's Island File:Fort Ile Sainte-Helene 25.jpg, The Saint Helen Island Fort File:Biosphère Montréal.jpg, The

Montreal Biosphere The Biosphere, also known as the Montreal Biosphere (, ), is a museum dedicated to the Natural environment, environment in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is housed in the former United States pavilion constructed for Expo 67 located within the gr ...

File:Tour Lévis.JPG, The

Tour de Lévis Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

Notes

Sources

External links

Parc Jean-Drapeau

Saint Helen's Island Collection
McGill University Library & Archives.
Site de l'exile de Napoléon à Sainte Hélène - Napoleon at St Helena
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sainte-Helene Hochelaga Archipelago Expo 67 Landforms of Montreal Parc Jean-Drapeau Heritage sites in Quebec (Cultural Heritage Act) River islands of Quebec Islands of the Saint Lawrence River 1874 establishments in Quebec