Industrial Archives | The mills of Île de la Visitation at the Sault-au-Récollet: Celebrating 300 years of history in 2026!

The Mémoires d’Ahuntsic anthem — Official video courtesy of the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough

The anthem Mémoires d’Ahuntsic for the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough was composed for Montreal’s 375th anniversary celebration, as a gift from Concerts Ahuntsic en fugue. The anthem’s lyrics are by […]

The commemorative structures and vestiges of the mills, spring 2022

View from the vestiges of the old installations, as seen from Du Pont Street looking toward the belvedere on the river.

Two turbines removed from the dike

Two turbines getting removed from the dike with a crawler excavator during development work on the Mills site.

Gérald Morel — Preservation of the Mills site

Mr. Gérard Morel (GM) describes to Stéphane Tessier (ST) the area around the factories in 1950 and the constant shuttling of trucks on La Visitation Island. He compares this […]

Axonometric view of the concept proposed in 1991 for the restoration of the Mills site

Axonometric view (also known as parallel projection) of the development concept for the Mills site, as envisioned by Le Groupe Lestage Inc. Aménagement et design urbain, and Gauthier-Guité-Roy […]

Women working in wartime

Women working at the Back River Power Company take part in the war effort by preparing cardboard packaging for ammunition that will be shipped to the European front […]

The Mills site

The video starts with a shot of water running downstream from the dike. Then we see historian and cultural animator Stéphane Tessier (ST), standing on top of the […]

The cutting and storing of ice

On the left: workers at the ice house in 1939. On the right, ice cutting becomes mechanized over time.

Gérald Morel — The strike

Historian and cultural animator Stéphane Tessier (ST), talks with Mr. Gérald Morel (GM) who grew up on Île de la Visitation. The interview was recorded at the cider mill […]

The miller’s house during renovations, 2017

“The project aims to develop the Mills site, namely through structural consolidation, renovation, restoration and refurbishment of the miller’s house. […] The restoration project of the miller’s house […]

Offices of the Back River Power Company in 1942

The offices of the Back River Power Company occupy a section of the old seigneurial flour mill that was built on the Island of Montreal. This building, which still […]

Last industrial uses of the Mills site

The Mills site, toward the end of its industrial use. The miller’s house (B), its oldest remaining structure, is the only one which is still intact today.