Mont Saint-Hilaire
Mont Saint- Hilaire
The Mont Saint- Hilaire is a 414 meter high mountain in the southwest of the Canadian province of Quebec. It is located about thirty kilometers east of Montreal in the area of the town of Mont -Saint -Hilaire, immediately east of the Rivière Richelieu. The area around the mountain is since 1978 a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, which is only partially open to the public. Most of the Mont Saint- Hilaire, who is one of the Montérégie hills, is owned by the Montreal McGill University.
Geography
The Mont Saint- Hilaire has a diameter of four kilometers and extends almost 400 meters from the surrounding plane. It is thus a highly visible landmark. The peaks in the west, publicly accessible part called Pain de Sucre ( 414 m), Sunrise ( 405 m), Rocky (403 m), Sommet Dieppe (371 m) and Burnt Hill (320 m). In the eastern, non-public part of the Mont Saint- Hilaire, bear the summit is usually no official name; their height ranges 277-392 meters.
A special feature on the south side is the steep rock wall at the Sommet Dieppe, the Falaise de Dieppe with a height difference of 175 meters. In the center of Mont Saint- Hilaire is the Lac Hertel, a 0.3 km ² and a maximum of nine meters deep lake, which is fed by three streams. A fourth stream flowing from the lake into the Rivière Richelieu. The lake serves as a reservoir of drinking water for the region, which is why swimming, fishing and boating are prohibited. The central location of the lake once led to the mistaken belief of the Mont Saint- Hilaire is a volcanic crater; in reality it is the result of glacial erosion.
Geology and mineral resources found in
The bedrock of Mont Saint- Hilaire is made alkaline plutonic and originated in the Cretaceous period about 125 million years ago from a total of three intrusions: The Sunrise Suite, consisting of the rocks gabbro, pyroxenite and Jacupirangit; the form of a " ring -Dykes " in the Sunrise Suite intruded Pain du Sucre suite, consisting of the rock types nepheline gabbro, diorite and monzonite and the East Hill Suite, which occupies the eastern half of the mountain, among other things, nepheline and sodalite syenites, marble breccia xenoliths, hornfels and syenitic pegmatites is.
The result of this turbulent history is an extraordinary variety of diverse mineral species and varieties, the Mont Saint- Hilaire, or rather its two quarries " Carrière Demix " and " Carrière Poudrette " next Långban in Sweden and Tsumeb in Namibia made it one of the most famous and richest mineral localities have.
A total of around 400 recognized and sometimes very rare minerals to date was (as of 2013) are discovered as, among others, analcime, Bailey chlorine, Catapleiit ( Katapleit ), digenite, Ewaldit, forsterite, graphite, Harmotome, ilmenite, Nenadkevichit, rhabdophane, Serandit, thenardite and willemite. For 59 of them Mont Saint- Hilaire is also considered a type locality as among other Bobtraillit, Carletonit, Doyleit, Gaidonnayit, Khomyakovit, Nalipoit, Reederite - (Y), Sheldrickit, Yofortierit, named after its type locality minerals Hilairit and Poudretteit which, according to the Fund in the area living Native Americans named mineral Abenakiit - (Ce ), and named after a nearby village or a community minerals Hochelagait and Rouvilleit.
Plant and animal world
The Mont Saint- Hilaire is home to a variety of plants and animals. This diversity is the result of four different ecosystems: The Lac Hertel, the cliff Falaise de Dieppe, pasture and primary forest. The latter is the only surviving fragment of that primeval forest that covered the entire Richelieu Valley before the arrival of the first French colonists. 1978, the Mont Saint- Hilaire was declared as the first Canadian area a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. The reserve is managed by the non-profit organization founded in 1972 Centre de la Nature Mont Saint- Hilaire.
The forest of Mont Saint- Hilaire is mainly composed of sugar maples and American beech trees. Some of these trees are over 400 years old. In addition, we find bitter nut trees, red oak, white ash, American Red pine, Weymouth pine, Canadian hemlock and American Linden. Over 600 species of vascular plants are native to the Mont Saint- Hilaire, of which are more than thirty as rare or endangered. Of these, the most frequent Asteraceae with 73 species (11%), sour grass plants with 48 species, rose plants with 39 species, Poaceae with 37 species and ferns with 34 species. Great is the diversity of lichens ( 54 species ) and mosses ( 212 species ). The soil in the lower part of the mountain is well suited for apple orchards that attract every year tens of thousands of visitors.
Also is extremely diverse fauna. The Mont Saint- Hilaire provides habitat for over 800 species of butterflies, as well as 69 different beetles, aphids and 59 different 27 species of springtails. Among the 30 observed here mammal species include squirrels, chipmunks, raccoon, red fox, rabbits, snowshoe hare, American mink, weasel, ermine and marmots. Even coyotes and white-tailed deer and bobcats can be observed. In addition, various amphibians and reptiles. Since 1952, the Mont Saint- Hilaire is a bird sanctuary since 1960, a migratory bird reserve. 218 species of birds are found here, which corresponds to 60 % of all species in southern Québec.
History
The indigenous people, the Algonquian and later the Iroquois, used the Mont Saint- Hilaire for more than 8,000 years, mainly as a lookout. For the existence of a village there is no evidence. Samuel de Champlain in 1535 is likely to have seen the mountain from a distance, but went not there. 1609 Jacques Cartier was the first who explored the Richelieu Valley in more detail. The officer Joseph Hertel de Rouville -Baptiste received a Seigneurie awarded in 1694, which included the mountain. Around 1745, a small village on the side of the mountain was formed. The power of flowing water from Lac Hertel brook drove eight mills. From 1844 until its dissolution in 1854 was the Seigneurie owned by Thomas Edmund Campbell. He wanted to open up the mountain touristy and had 1851 at Lac Hertel build a trip café, but burned down ten years later. 1874 was the Iroquois Hotel, in 1895 also became a prey to the flames.
End of the 19th century the castle became tourist importance of the Mont Saint- Hilaire, as the Appalachian Mountains were far become more accessible through the progressive development of the Estrie region. Fossil fuels solved the hydroelectric power from an energy source. The inhabitants abandoned the settlement on the side of the mountain and built on the banks of the Rivière Richelieu conveniently located new homes. In 1913 the family sold 890 acres of Campbell to the British brigadier and politician Andrew Gault. For decades he sat tirelessly committed to preserving the natural beauty. In particular, he defended himself repeatedly against attempts to exploit the mineral resources of the mountain. In 1957 he ordered the construction of a mansion at Lac Hertel in order, but he lived there only three weeks before he died. In his will he bequeathed to the Mont Saint- Hilaire of Montreal McGill University.
Previous names
The Algonkian called the mountain Wigwomadensis ( wigwam -shaped mountain ) because he recalled the form of their dwellings. On his 1612 map of New France created Samuel de Champlain described him as Montfort, which can be translated as " fortress hill " or "strong mountain". Due to the proximity to the small town of Chambly mountain in the late 17th century was temporarily Mont Chambly ( this name held in English until about 1830 ). From 1697 was the French Mont Rouville familiar, after Seigneurie Hertel de Rouville the family. When the Campbell replaced the Hertel, the name Mont Beloeil Beloeil a naturalized, according to the site on the opposite side of the Rivière Richelieu. In the early 20th century, however, the name of Mont Saint- Hilaire began to dominate, as the same place gained importance at the foot of the mountain.