Plains of Abraham

Coordinates: 46°47′59″N 71°13′15″W / 46.79972°N 71.22083°W / 46.79972; -71.22083
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with Abrams Plains.
See also: Heights of Abraham (disambiguation)
Plains of Abraham
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Coordinates46°47′59″N 71°13′15″W / 46.79972°N 71.22083°W / 46.79972; -71.22083
Area98 ha (240 acres)[1]
Established17 March 1908
Governing bodyNational Battlefields Commission (Canadian Crown)

The Plains of Abraham (

National Battlefields Commission
. The park is today used by 4 million visitors and tourists annually for sports, relaxation, outdoor concerts, and festivals.

Plains of Abraham Museum

The Plains of Abraham Museum serves as the park's information and reception centre. It features a multi-media exhibition about the siege of Quebec and the 1759 and 1760 battles of the Plains of Abraham.[3] Other displays feature the history of the site through archaeological artifacts found in the park. Open year-round and located at 835 Wilfrid-Laurier Avenue, the museum serves as the starting point for tours and includes a gift shop.

Name and features

Chevalier de Levis and the Marquis de Montcalm referred to the Heights of Abraham, as did the diaries of British soldiers, who also employed the phrase Plains of Abraham.[5]

Saint Lawrence River

The park itself currently occupies an area approximately 2.4 km (1.5 mi) long by 0.8 km (0.50 mi),

Saint Lawrence River, and forms a part of The Battlefields Park. An interpretive centre and walking trails have been built on the site, and monuments commemorate the Battle of Sainte-Foy and James Wolfe
, the latter being an astronomic meridian marker raised in 1790 by the Surveyor-General of Canada, Major Holland, on the site where Wolfe was said to have died.

In 1913, the National Battlefields Commission placed a column identical to one that had been built on the site in 1849, and a replica Cross of Sacrifice was constructed on the plains to commemorate soldiers who were lost in World War I; it continues to be the location of Remembrance Day ceremonies every year.[7]

History

The Plains of Abraham, 1784
Wolfe on the Heights of Abraham (from an 1885 book)

On September 13, 1759, the area was the scene of the

French
, through a single deadly volley of musket fire, causing the battle to be over within 30 minutes. Both Wolfe and the French commander, the Marquis de Montcalm, died of their wounds, but the battle left control of Quebec City to the British, eventually allowing them to take control of Canada the following year.

The plains thereafter remained nondescript fields, with only a monument to Wolfe as a reminder of the events that took place. As Quebec City grew, development of the plains took place unabated, and hundreds of acres were built over.[6] Only in 1901 did government intervention come, when the proposed subdivision of 88 acres (36 ha) of the area was halted by the purchase of the land by the Dominion Crown. At the same time, however, another area of the plains was taken and, despite public protest, covered by a Ross rifle factory, which included a water tank built upon an existing Martello tower. A movement to preserve the site continued, nonetheless, and by 1904, the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec was permitted by the federal government to put up plaques at various significant spots around the vicinity. The following year, a proposal for the establishment of an Historic Landmarks Association was placed before the Royal Society of Canada and Governor General the Earl Grey initiated his plan to preserve the battlefields, having visited the site and stating that he "would never rest until such sacred ground became the heirloom of all Canada and the Empire."[8]

Prince George, Prince of Wales, presents the title deeds of the Plains of Abraham to Governor General the Earl Grey at the tercentenary of Quebec City in 1908

The

National Battlefields Commission,[9] a group that, following the lead of Edward VII, began to collect historical data relating to the plains and the battles that took place on them.[10] Finally, on 24 July 1908, the King's eldest son, Prince George, Prince of Wales (later George V), dedicated the Quebec Battlefields Park at the Plains of Abraham, then presenting the title deeds of the lands to the Governor General.[11] The events were popular with Quebec residents, leading Laurier to opine that Quebecers were "monarchical by religion, by habit, and by the remembrance of past history."[12] The official memorial record of the anniversary was titled The King's Book of Quebec; with the assent of the King (by then George V), the volume was published in 1911.[13]

A crowd at the Place de la Famille, a Quebec Winter Carnival site on the Plains of Abraham

The site has become an urban park within Quebec City; the National Battlefields Commission has compared its use to that of

Quebec City Summer Festival
.

Recognition

On 10 September 1959, Canada Post issued Plains of Abraham, 1759–1959, designed by Ephrum Philip Weiss with a picture engraved by Yves Baril and lettering engraved by Donald J. Mitchell. The 5¢ stamps are perforated 12 and were printed by Canadian Bank Note Company.[14][full citation needed]

The site is mentioned in the 1975 song "Acadian Driftwood", by The Band, as well as in the song "The Maker", by Daniel Lanois. Gordon Lightfoot mentions the site in "Nous Vivons Ensemble" (1971). Geddy Lee mentions the site in his song "My Favourite Headache" from his solo album of the same name (2000).

References

  1. ^ National Battlefields Commission. "Info Source > Responsibilities". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  2. ^ Wood, William (1911). "Tercentennial Quebec". In Doughty, A.G.; Wood, William (eds.). The King's Book of Quebec. Ottawa: The Mortimer Co. Ltd. pp. 137–138. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  3. ^ "Battles: 1759-1760". National Battlefield Commission. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  4. ^ "An illustrious park". National Battlefield Commission. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  5. ^ Mathieu, Jacques, ed. (1992). "Les plaines d'Abraham. Le culte de l'idéal". Septentrion.
  6. ^ a b Wood 1911, p. 155
  7. ^ The National Battlefields Commission. "Plains of Abraham > History of the Park". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
  8. ^ Wood 1911, pp. 137–141
  9. ^ Wood 1911, pp. 141–144
  10. ^ Wood 1911, p. 152
  11. ^ Wood 1911, p. 166
  12. ^ Toporoski, Richard (1998). "The Invisible Crown". Monarchy Canada. Summer 1998. Toronto: Monarchist League of Canada. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  13. ISBN 978-0-665-71157-2
    . Retrieved 20 July 2009.
  14. ^ Canada Post stamp

External links

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