Foundations from the time of the French regime, remains of a mill, objects that tell the story of life in a former hospital … Archaeologists have unearthed tens of thousands of artifacts from the 17th century where the mast of Quebec’s tram junctions is to be built in the Saint-Roch -District.
• Also read: The hypothesis of an internal design of the tram is gaining importance
Time travel
The construction site on the corner of Rue des Embarcations and Rue de la Pointe-aux-Lièvres, on the edge of Laurentienne, offers a real journey into the past.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
As the scene of several archaeological interventions in recent years, the unveiling of its mysteries has not yet been completed.
A team of around twenty people worked throughout the summer to search the site shift by shift and by hand in anticipation of the construction of municipal lines in the coming weeks.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
Ultimately, this site will be earmarked for the future interchange hub and parking for residents of the area.
Distant agricultural past
Archaeologists have found evidence of a peasant occupation that may have lasted 200 years, including the remains of a windmill that dates back to 1717.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
Stéphane Noël, team leader and archaeologist at the Quebec tram project office, says farmers would certainly grind their grain there.
He calls it a “pretty extraordinary” find because “not many mills have been dug up in Quebec,” he says.
Provided by the City of Quebec
Aerial view of the remains of an old farm.
The stone foundations of several buildings or agricultural dwellings were also uncovered. “The oldest date from the time of the French regime. We’re not yet sure if it’s from the late 16th or early 18th century,” explains Mr. Noël, amazed at the quantity and level of preservation of the remains, which “distance from different eras”.
“It’s a little hard to imagine, but if you go back to the 1690s and 1680s it was rural, there were cows grazing in Pointe-aux-Lièvres, where the eco-district is now,” he says .
Provided by the City of Quebec
Aerial view of the remains of the mill from the time of the French regime.
Various items including shoes, terracotta from France and musket balls have been unearthed.
Dominique Lelievre
A window to our ancestors
Discovered nearby was what was probably the latrine or waste pit of the naval hospital built on the site in the 1830s.
Numerous objects have been recovered and are being analyzed in the laboratory.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
Stoneware chamber pots, jugs, beer bottles, smoking pipes, animal bones, medicine bottles and plates offer a unique insight into the lives of patients and carers of this period.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
Frequented by sailors and immigrants, the hospital has witnessed several epidemics, including cholera. It is also one of the first places in Quebec where medicine was taught.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
No impact on the tram
According to Audrey de Champlain, spokeswoman for the City of Quebec, archaeological investigations are integrated into the planning of the tram project and therefore no delay in the schedule is expected. The budget includes expenditure for preparatory work.
Stevens LeBlanc/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC
Also to avoid surprises during the construction of the tram, the archaeological interventions will be carried out upstream, affirms Stéphane Noël. With a length of 19.3 km, the tram “offers an opportunity to learn more about our common history,” he says.
In 2019 and 2020, excavations in another part of this country revealed the presence of 227 burials.