Verchères, Quebec
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Verchères is a municipality in Montérégie, Quebec, located on the south bank of the Saint Lawrence River.
[edit] History
In the 17th century, the settlement at Verchères was the scene of an Iroquois raid that was apparently thwarted by the ingenuity of a 14 year old girl named Madeleine (now known as Madeleine de Verchères). A cast-iron statue of Madeleine de Verchères stands today by the former location of the settlement stronghold on the shore of the Saint-Lawrence river.
In French, the word Verchères can be used as an adjective to describe a specific type of rowboat invented in Verchères at the end of the 19th century, i.e. chaloupe verchères. A specimen of the rowboat is on permanent outdoor display in the parc de la commune across from the town hall.
The motto of Verchères is "In Tenebris Lumen Rectis Corde". The streets of Verchères are mostly named after the patronyms of residing families but also after local people who rose to celebrity in Canadian history.
[edit] Notable natives and residents
- Joseph Coulon de Jumonville whose death while a prisoner of George Washington ignited the French and Indian War/Seven Years War
- Louis Coulon de Villiers who is the only officer Washington ever surrendered to
- François Coulon de Villiers another of the Coulon brothers who was to be Alcalde of New Orleans, Louisiana in New Spain
- Bernard Landry former Premier of Quebec .
