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Inauguration of the Q. M. O. & O Railway from Montreal to Saint-Jérôme

Illustration of a banquet. The drawing is rectangular in shape. An oval at the centre of the rectangle shows men in evening dress sitting down to a banquet in a decorated room. At the far end of the room, Curé Labelle stands at the head table. Outside the oval are scenes of the village: a train at the station, a flour mill, the church and presbytery, and the river.

Engraving: Unknown
Date: October 26th, 1876
Source: L’Opinion publique

After years of unremitting struggle, the dream had finally come true: Saint-Jérôme and Montreal were now linked by railway. On October 9, 1876, in Montreal, some 200 guests climbed aboard six railway cars. They were impressed with the plush interiors of the cars, each of which was worth an estimated $5,000. The special train pulled into Saint-Jérôme station at 1:45 p.m. to the sounds of thunderous applause and booming cannons. At the presbytery, a very happy Labelle politely shook hands with all the visitors. Together, they then went up to the second floor of the flour mill. The room was decorated tastefully and the meal was lavish. Labelle presided over the banquet, with the Premier of Quebec, the Honourable Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville, sitting to his right. Labelle proposed the first toast, with an edifying speech to the health of Queen Victoria. Then, some twenty distinguished guests took turns congratulating those who had helped make the railway possible. Labelle was quoted as stating: “I can say that I have loved my country, that I love my country, and that I always will love it. That love is what sustains me and consoles me in the midst of my struggles, and if I were able to make each of my fellow citizens happy and prosperous, at the risk of making myself unhappy, I would do it wholeheartedly and with the greatest pleasure.”