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June 29, 2006
Hello from Montreal: The Old Montreal Ghost
Walking Tour – A First-Hand Connection with the Past
After an enjoyable dinner at Modavie
I was ready to head to my next scheduled activity: a ghost tour
of Old Montreal. Old
Montreal Ghosts or Les Fantomes de Vieux Montreal was founded
about 8 years ago by a local Montrealer, Eric Poulin, who got the
idea for a ghost tour on one of his travels to London. Recently
he has started to collaborate with Louise Hébert, owner of
Guidatour
and a very experienced tourism entrepreneur who has won numerous
prizes from Quebec Tourism and in 2005 was also honoured as one
of Chatelaine Magazine Top Ten Women of the Year. Both entrepreneurs
together combined to provide a special experience in Old Montreal.
Walking up Place Jacques Cartier as the sun sets
Old Montreal Ghosts offers a variety of tours: a traditional ghost
walk that introduces visitors to the streets, alleyways and piers
of Old Montreal, to the locations of many historical events including
fires, ghost appearances, political gatherings, hangings, crimes,
heroic acts and unexplained facts. The Montreal Historical Crimes
Tour makes visitors relive some of Montreal’s most famous
crimes through the testimony of victims and criminals.
I was going to partake of the New France Ghost Hunt, with characters
dating back to the founding times of Montreal. Another ghost tour
focuses on the Port area while a Scavenger Hunt is also offered
where competing teams have to find answers to rally questions.
Illuminated fountain with the Montreal City Hall in the background
Based on these interesting offerings, I was sure a special experience
was waiting for me. So just before 8:30 pm I went to a booth on
Jacques Cartier Quay in the Old Port of Montreal to participate
in the New France Ghost Hunt. Quebec was part of New France and
Montreal’s French regime lasted from 1642, the founding of
Montreal, to 1760, when France conceded its overseas territories
to Great Britain in 1763 at the end of the Seven Years War. The
ghosts we would be meeting tonight would date back to that era.
Two ghost tours were being offered tonight: one in French and one
in English. Together with a family from Battle Creek, Michigan,
and another family from Boston I was ready to go searching for Montreal’s
ghosts. A lady dressed in a late-medieval costume called us together
and explained to us how the tour would work. She handed out some
critical accessories: a flag of New France as well as a lantern
and designated a tour leader who would have to coordinate our efforts.
She gave us maps of Old Montreal that contained 4 stops at each
of which we would have to locate the resident ghost and call him
or her by chanting “Long live the King of France”. This
would make the ghost appear. And off she sent us on our treasure
hunt for the ghosts of Old Montreal.
Montreal City Hall, all lit up at night
Well, it was a beautiful evening and hundreds of people on the
outdoor restaurant patios on Place Jacques Cartier could attest
to that. Our first ghost destination was located at Champ-de-Mars,
a former parade ground for military manoeuvres, and since 1991 a
place where the old fortifications of Montreal have been revealed.
We went through our ghost calling ceremony and sure enough, the
ghost of a young man appeared, telling us stories of young forbidden
love, arson and his early death. He was a rather charming ghost
that endeared himself to his audience with his French-Canadian accent
and his bright smile.
What a charming ghost!
Our next ghost location was just south of Montreal’s City
Hall, in the Place de la Dauversière, a public square next
to Place Jacques Cartier that holds several works of public art
as well as a statue of one of Montreal’s most famous mayors,
Jean Drapeau. Place Jacques Cartier itself at one point held a public
market and a statue of British Admiral Nelson overlooks the square,
however, the famous admiral interestingly faces away from the port
area.
Having arrived at the proper spot, we were able to call up a young
female ghost who told us tales of her voyage to North America and
her love story with one of the sailors. She was also reaped away
by an untimely death and her expressive playful demeanor was fitting
for such a young girlish ghost.
Dead, yet playful....
Then we crossed Place Jacques Cartier and strolled to Cours Le
Royer, a complex of huge warehouses that used to be the property
of the religieuses hospitalières (nursing sisters) of Saint-Joseph,
an order of nuns who rented out the warehouses to importers to generate
revenue for their organization. The complex was built between 1860
and 1871 and features a cobble-stoned alley between the warehouses.
He scared the bejeezus out of me...
After some searching we found another ghost and went through our
ghost calling ritual. A young male ghost talked to us of his journey
to the New World and how he came into conflict with the authorities.
In gruesome detail he depicted the torture techniques that were
used at the time of the French regime. This ghost was the most scary
of all and his anger at his fate was palpable. When he was finished
telling us his story we started to proceed to search for our fourth
and final ghost. As I looked back, this ghost was still standing
on the rue Saint-Sulpice and his haunting gaze kept following our
group, sending a chill up our spine.
A "woodrunner" or "coureur du bois" ghost
Finally, on Place d’Armes, after a long search, we were able
to find our last ghost. He was one of the "coureurs du bois",
young men that used to venture deep into Native territory in order
to negotiate with Indian tribes who were supplying fur to the merchants
of New France. His stories made the early years of fur trading in
wild and uncharted lands come to life.
Place d'Armes at night
Each of these ghosts shed light on a different aspect of life in
New France in the 17th and 18th century, a time when adventure and
danger were part of daily life. Our tour finished around 10 pm,
a perfect time for me to walk back through the safe streets of Montreal
to write up today's experiences and catch some sleep for my adventures
tomorrow: a walking tour of
Old Montreal.
Useful books about travel to Montreal:
Related articles:
Hello from Montreal 2006 - My 4-day
explorations of Montreal
Hello from Montreal: An interesting
train ride and first impressions
Hello from Montreal: Getting
the lay of the land in a driving tour
Hello from Montreal: Dinner and a
little jazz at Modavie
Hello from Montreal: Reliving
history with the Old Montreal Ghost Tour
Hello from Montreal: Architectural
discoveries in the Old Montreal Walking Tour
Hello from Montreal: Exploring
the Chateau Ramezay during a torrential downpour
Hello from Montreal:
Mexican delights at La Iguana & a peak at the Jazz Festival
Hello from Montreal: A guided bicycle
tour to explore Montreal's neighbourhoods
Hello from Montreal:
Biking on the Lachine Canal - Industrial history turned into a recreational
opportunity
Hello from Montreal: A chat with
André Giroux about Bicycling in Montreal
Hello from Montreal: Savouring Italian
cuisine at Galiano's and Canada Day Celebrations
Hello from Montreal:
Exploring the Olympic Stadium, the Botanical Garden & Insectarium
and outdoor action at the Jean Talon Market
Hello from Montreal: A Peruvian immigrant
success story at Restaurant Mañana
Hello from Montreal: Friendly
neighbourhood encounters on Square St. Louis
Hello from Montreal: Exploring
the Casino de Montreal
Hello from Montreal: Gourmet
dining at Nuances and amazing fireworks at La Ronde
Hello from Montreal: A final walk
to discover amazing architectural beauties
Helpful links for travel to Montreal:
Tourisme
Montreal - Montreal's official tourism information office
Quebec Tourism
- Official tourism website for Quebec
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