In 1636, Louis XIII of France was dividing up seigneuries in the new colony of New France.
One of these was known as La Prairie, comprising La Prairie de la Magdeleine and La Prairie de Saint-Lambert.
The lower part of the latter, was known as Mouillepied, due to the swampy conditions of the area.
Saint-Lambert's first two permanent residents were André Marsil and André Achim in the 18th century.
Today André Marsil's house can be found on the corner of Riverside Drive and Notre-Dame Avenue, was converted into a textile museum called the Marsil Museum (French: Musée Marsil), although the museum has since moved to the Bonsecours Market.

In 1722, Mouillepied was transferred from La Prairie seigneurie to Saint-Antoine-de-Longueuil parish.

Following the establishment of the railway in 1852 and the completion of the Victoria Bridge in 1859, the village received a permanent link to the island of Montreal.
The Victoria Bridge is the oldest bridge linking Montreal to the South Shore, and carried the first rail line linking Quebec's largest city to New York City.
Because of this, Saint-Lambert became an important passenger and freight stop for a long period of time.
This is evident in the city's architecture, in which many old industrial buildings are found near the railway tracks.
Many of these have since been converted into lofts  such as the former Waterman pens factory, originally built in 1908.

With the bridge and railway came a quick growth in Saint-Lambert's population and the construction of new housing.
Saint-Lambert detached itself from Saint-Antoine-de-Longueuil and achieved municipality status in 1857, under its first mayor, Louis Bétournay.
At the time, Saint-Lambert did not include Mouillepied, which instead had remained in Saint-Antoine-de-Longueuil.

In 1892, Saint-Lambert reached village status, attained town status in 1898 and city status in 1921.

During World War I and World War II, Saint-Lambert had one of the highest military enlistment rates in Canada.
The small city lost a total of 132 soldiers in both wars.
This number was a significant portion of the young people at the time.

In the 1950s, the development of Saint-Lambert was enhanced with the building of the St. Lambert Locks in the St. Lawrence Seaway, to bypass the smaller Lachine Canal, and this became the most easterly lock in the Seaway.
Suburban growth from Montreal in this period also affected Saint-Lambert, as well as many of the older communities on the South Shore.

Since its establishment, the city's limits have barely changed.
In 1948, the old Mouillepied area of the town of Jacques-Cartier was split off and erected into the town of Préville.
It merged with Saint-Lambert in 1969.

Saint-Lambert had an anglophone majority population starting in 1881, and throughout most of the 20th century.
Saint-Lambert had 12,460 anglophones and was 61% anglophone as recently as the 1981 census.
This started to change, as it increasingly become the home to upper class francophone families, in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

The late 1990s saw the construction of a new residential neighbourhood in Saint-Lambert, known as "Le Haut Saint-Lambert".
It was built on the remaining vacant land in city limits near LeMoyne.

In 2007, the city of Saint-Lambert celebrated its 150th anniversary.

Amalgamation and de-amalgamation
On January 1, 2002, municipal reorganization merged Saint-Lambert with LeMoyne to form a borough in the new Longueuil mega-city.
There was a strong "de-merger" movement and a referendum was won on June 20, 2004, to re-establish the former city.
The city was officially reborn on January 1, 2006, while on January 7, 2006, the Saint-Lambert flag was hoisted in front of city hall and the mayor, councillors and city manager took their oath of office.
In 1636, Louis XIII of France was dividing up seigneuries in the new colony of New France. One of these was known as La Prairie, comprising La Prairie de la Magdeleine and La Prairie de Saint-Lambert. The lower part of the latter, was known as Mouillepied, due to the swampy conditions of the area. Saint-Lambert's first two permanent residents were André Marsil and André Achim in the 18th century. Today André Marsil's house can be found on the corner of Riverside Drive and Notre-Dame Avenue, was converted into a textile museum called the Marsil Museum (French: Musée Marsil), although the museum has since moved to the Bonsecours Market.
In 1722, Mouillepied was transferred from La Prairie seigneurie to Saint-Antoine-de-Longueuil parish.
Following the establishment of the railway in 1852 and the completion of the Victoria Bridge in 1859, the village received a permanent link to the island of Montreal. The Victoria Bridge is the oldest bridge linking Montreal to the South Shore, and carried the first rail line linking Quebec's largest city to New York City. Because of this, Saint-Lambert became an important passenger and freight stop for a long period of time. This is evident in the city's architecture, in which many old industrial buildings are found near the railway tracks. Many of these have since been converted into lofts  such as the former Waterman pens factory, originally built in 1908. 
With the bridge and railway came a quick growth in Saint-Lambert's population and the construction of new housing. Saint-Lambert detached itself from Saint-Antoine-de-Longueuil and achieved municipality status in 1857, under its first mayor, Louis Bétournay. At the time, Saint-Lambert did not include Mouillepied, which instead had remained in Saint-Antoine-de-Longueuil.
In 1892, Saint-Lambert reached village status, attained town status in 1898 and city status in 1921.
During World War I and World War II, Saint-Lambert had one of the highest military enlistment rates in Canada. The small city lost a total of 132 soldiers in both wars. This number was a significant portion of the young people at the time.
In the 1950s, the development of Saint-Lambert was enhanced with the building of the St. Lambert Locks in the St. Lawrence Seaway, to bypass the smaller Lachine Canal, and this became the most easterly lock in the Seaway. Suburban growth from Montreal in this period also affected Saint-Lambert, as well as many of the older communities on the South Shore.
Since its establishment, the city's limits have barely changed. In 1948, the old Mouillepied area of the town of Jacques-Cartier was split off and erected into the town of Préville. It merged with Saint-Lambert in 1969.
Saint-Lambert had an anglophone majority population starting in 1881, and throughout most of the 20th century. Saint-Lambert had 12,460 anglophones and was 61% anglophone as recently as the 1981 census. This started to change, as it increasingly become the home to upper class francophone families, in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
The late 1990s saw the construction of a new residential neighbourhood in Saint-Lambert, known as "Le Haut Saint-Lambert". It was built on the remaining vacant land in city limits near LeMoyne.
In 2007, the city of Saint-Lambert celebrated its 150th anniversary.
Amalgamation and de-amalgamation
On January 1, 2002, municipal reorganization merged Saint-Lambert with LeMoyne to form a borough in the new Longueuil mega-city. There was a strong "de-merger" movement and a referendum was won on June 20, 2004, to re-establish the former city. The city was officially reborn on January 1, 2006, while on January 7, 2006, the Saint-Lambert flag was hoisted in front of city hall and the mayor, councillors and city manager took their oath of office.
Saint-Lambert, Quebec