Ville De Montreal
Montreal has been a North American city since 1639 when Jaime Le Royer, a tax collector, established the settlement. Previous to that time, Alonquin, Huron, and Iroquois Indians inhabited the area, along with fur trappers and traders, many of whom were French. A missionary started a mission called Ville Marie that later became known as Vieux Montreal. The mission grew into a fur trading center and continued to be the target of Iroquois attacks until 1701, when a peace treaty was reached. The fur trade attracted many French businessmen, but they later left after the 1763 Peace of Paris treaty ended the French and Indian War and led to an influx of British settlers. As the fur trade declined, so did Montreal’s prominence until the opening of the 1821 Canal de Lachine, which expanded transportation in the region. By the early 20th century, Montreal was Canada’s leading commercial center. Education, the arts, and a brisk economy enabled Montreal to continue growing and expanding despite the 1929 stock market crash and high unemployment rate. Immigrants from Ireland, England, and Scotland flocked to Montreal and other parts of Canada in its formative years. Later, other immigrants from Asia and Russia, among other countries, also arrived to add to the melting pot that was rapidly changing the face of contemporary Montreal, once a largely French