Description of Historic Place

Battle of the Lake of Two Mountains National Historic Site of Canada is located on the western end of Montreal Island, on Lac des Deux Montagnes, in Quebec. The site, of which there are no extant remains, consists of a square plot of land centred around a Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC) plaque commemorating the battle. Official recognition refers to the plot of land on which the HSMBC plaque is located.

Heritage Value

Battle of the Lake of Two Mountains was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1925 because:
- the defeat of a band of Iroquois on this lake in 1689 restored the confidence of the inhabitants of the colony and turned over the Montreal Island.

Following the Lachine Massacre of August 1689, the Iroquois that remained in the area posed a threat to the residents of the Island of Montréal and the surrounding villages. In October, Governor Denonville dispatched a scouting party, composed of 28 “coureurs de bois” under the command of Sieurs Dulhut and d’Ailleboust de Manthet. They encountered a group of 22 Iroquois, resulting in a skirmish at Lac des Deux Montagnes. The French party defeated the Iroquois and reported no casualties, which restored the confidence of the inhabitants of the area.

Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, 1925; Plaque Text, 1928, 1972.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that contribute to the heritage character of the site include:
- its location on Montreal Island, near Lac des Deux Montagnes;
- the flat, rural character of the landscape where the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque commemorating the battle is located;
- viewscapes from the site across Lac des Deux Montagnes.