Mont Saint-Hilaire

Mont Saint-Hilaire
Wigwômaden, Wigwômadenek, Wigwômadensisek (Western Abnaki)
Mont Saint-Hilaire (Dieppe and Rocky summits) seen from Otterburn Park
Highest point
Elevation414 m (1,358 ft)
Prominence380 m (1,250 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Isolation26.4 km (16.4 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
Coordinates45°33′8″N 73°9′3″W / 45.55222°N 73.15083°W / 45.55222; -73.15083
Geography
LocationMont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada
Parent rangeMonteregian Hills
Topo mapNTS 31H11 Beloeil
Geology
Age of rockEarly Cretaceous
Mountain typeIntrusive stock

Mont Saint-Hilaire (English: Mount Saint-Hilaire; Western Abnaki: Wigwômadenek, Wigwômadensizek;,[1] Western Abnaki: Wigwômaden;[2] see § Names of Mont Saint-Hilaire for other names) is a mountain, 414 m (1,358 ft) high,[3] in the Montérégie region of southern Quebec. It is about thirty kilometres east of Montreal, and immediately east of the Richelieu River. It is one of the Monteregian Hills. Around the mountains are the towns of Mont-Saint-Hilaire and Saint-Jean-Baptiste. Other nearby towns include Otterburn Park, Beloeil and McMasterville.

The area surrounding the mountain is a biosphere reserve, as one of the last remnants of the primeval forests of the Saint-Lawrence valley. Most of the mountain is currently the property of McGill University, as the Gault Nature Reserve, which is considered the third McGill campus.[4] The University has opened the western half of the mountain to visitors (at a fee) for hiking and cross-country skiing, as the Milieu Naturel (natural area). The eastern half, or Milieu de Conservation (preservation area) is not accessible to the general public.

Until the late nineteenth century, the lack of information on more remote summits of Quebec, as well as the relatively high prominence (about 400 m (1,312 ft))[5] of Mont Saint-Hilaire, led to it being mistaken as the highest summit in Québec.[5] In actuality, Saint-Hilaire's 414 metres falls far short of making it the highest mountain in Quebec.[6]

Mont Saint-Hilaire is home to a wide variety of fauna and flora, as well as a number of rare minerals, including some which were discovered on the mountain and some which are unique to the region.[3] These minerals are exploited by a quarry on the north-eastern side of the mountain.[7] In addition, the soil is ideal for the growth of apple trees, and the mountain's apple orchards draws tens of thousands of visitors each year.[8]

  1. ^ Paré, Pierre; et al. (August 1, 1985). La toponymie des Abénaquis [Toponymy of the Abenaki] (PDF) (in French). Government of Quebec. p. 62 (81 in PDF). Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  2. ^ Day, Gordon M. (1995). Western Abenaki Dictionary. Volume 2: English-Abenaki. Mercury Series, Canadian Ethnology Service, Paper 129. Canadian Museum of Civilization. p. 254.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference McGill was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "McGill's third campus takes big step". McGill reporter. Archived from the original on November 30, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Lambert was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Principal heights by range or region". Statistics Canada. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2008.
  7. ^ "Centre de la Nature du Mont Saint-Hilaire: Regional Conservation". Archived from the original on December 17, 2007. Retrieved July 7, 2008.
  8. ^ "Centre de la Nature du Mont Saint-Hilaire: Apples Growing". Archived from the original on March 10, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2008.

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