![[Coteau-du-Lac flag]](../images/c/ca-qccdl.gif)
Last modified: 2022-04-02 by rob raeside
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image by Masao Okazaki, March 2022Coteau-du-Lac is a city in MRC de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, west of Montreal and
on the north shore of the St. Lawrence.
Dave Fowler, 2 March 2022
The municipality of Coteau-du-Lac (7,422 inhabitants in 2020; 4,710 ha) is
located 60 km south-west of Montreal.
Coteau-du-Lac (The Lake's Hillside)
was mentioned for the first time in the account of the exploration led in 1721
by Jesuit Charlevoix; beforehand, the Coteau rapids were listed on the last map
of river Saint-Lawrence designed by Champlain, white Coteau Saint-François,
named for Lake Saint-François, was mentioned on Franquelin's map of
Nouvelle-France, designed in 1688.
In April 1776, a detachment of 300
American soldiers commanded by General Benedict Arnold invaded the village of
Les Cèdres and entrenched themselves in a wooden fort. Captain Forster,
commander of Fort La Galette, manned with only 40 regular soldiers, gathered a
hundred of militiamen commanded by Knight of Lorimier and another 400
Amerindians. On 19 May 1776, they seized Les Cèdres and captured 500 Americans,
contributing to the abortion of the invasion of Quebec.
The event prompted
the authorities of British North America to recognize the strategic location of
the place, which was then located only 15 km downstream from the border and
controlled communications between Montreal and the Great Lakes. Governor
Haldimand ordered the building of two warehouses aimed at resupplying the
hinterland, which were achieved in 1779 and 1780, respectively. Of 160 sq. m in
area, they were composed of three floors. The warehouse used as a general store
kept pork in the first floor, flour in the second floor, and biscuits in the
third floor. The other warehouse was used to store liquid, such as rum. The site
was completed with a blockhouse housing some 50 soldiers.
Stronger
fortifications were built in 1813 during the war. The Coteau fort was composed
of two sections connected by a bridge. They were built on each side of the canal
inaugurated in 1781 as America's first canal equipped with locks. Of 100 m in
length and 80 cm in depth, the canal and its three locks of 1.80 m in width
allowed the crossing of the rapids without disembarking.
The fort could house
460 men commanded by a general officer and two captains. All buildings
progressively disappeared but the octagonal blockhouse that was rebuilt and
became the town's landmark.
http://www.societedhistoire-Coteau-du-lac.com
Société d'Histoire de
Coteau-du-Lac
Ivan Sache, 2 March 2022
Flag is a logo on white.
Dave Fowler, 2 March 2022
The logo, designed in 1992, features the blockhouse of the Historic Park of
Coteau-du-Lac. Easily recognizable and significant for every inhabitant of the
region and tourist, it also evokes the municipality's past and origins. The
rapids are also represented, as the origin of the site of Coteau-du-Lac. As a
symbol of the past, the blockhouse highlight pride and personality, contributing
to the unveiling of an exceptional heritage. The colors match those of the site:
orange for the blockhouse's roof and blue for the river.
https://Coteau-du-lac.com/armoiries-et-logo/
Municipal website
Ivan Sache, 2 March 2022
