Lachine Rapids
The rapids contain a number of islands used by migratory birds. The first European to see the rapids was Jacques Cartier, who sailed up the St. Lawrence River in 1535, believing he had found the Northwest Passage. In 1611, Samuel de Champlain named the rapids Sault Saint-Louis, after a teenaged crewman named Louis who drowned here; the name later extended to Lac Saint-Louis. This name remained in use until the mid-19th century, but later came to be replaced by the name of the adjacent town of Lachine. The first Europeans known to have traveled above these rapids were Champlain and Étienne Brûlé on the 13 June 1611. Brûlé continued upriver to live among the Algonquin, while Champlain himself would not travel further up the Ottawa River until May 1613. The first person to design a ship capable of shooting the Lachine Rapids was shipbuilder and carpenter John McQuaid, a native of County Armagh, Ireland who later settled in Kingston, Ontario with his family. Whitewater rafting and jet boat expeditions to the rapids are available in Montreal. Though a life jacket is required. Whitewater kayaking has become popular, along with river surfing, on a standing wave adjacent to the Habitat 67.(). The place is very good to visit and the best time to visit is between mid-winter/spring.
History
The Lachine Rapids are a series of rapids on the Saint Lawrence River, between the Island of Montreal and the south shore.