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Salaberry-de-Valleyfield - At the Heart of Industrial History in Canada

Salaberry-de-Valleyfield - At the Heart of Industrial History in Canada

Salaberry-de-Valleyfield - At the Heart of Industrial History in Canada
Aerial view of a textile mill complex with three water towers and smoke stack in full operation. (detail)

Industrialisation in Canada

Detailed view of a scene weaved on a Jacquard loom and representing the Montreal Cotton Co. of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield factory around 1935. Musée de société des Deux-Rives Collection.

Industrialisation in Canada

Introduction

Aerial view of a textile mill complex with three water towers and smoke stack in full operation.

Detailed view of a scene weaved on a Jacquard loom and representing the Montreal Cotton Co. of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield factory around 1935.
Musée de société des Deux-Rives Collection.

Industrialisation: the transition from handcrafted goods to automated production brought profound changes to our societies. With land transformation came new ways of thinking, working, and living.

Great Britain was the first to enter the fray in the 1770-80 decade, followed by France around 1820. The United States, Canada and Germany joined the march in the 1870s. Initially, coal was the driving force behind this revolution, fuelling steam engines for trains and factories alike; new possibilities arose, production became mechanized through innovative solutions: spinning machines, looms, sewing machines, and electric motors. These devices required less physical strength and skills to operate, increased production capacity and, by the same token, profitability.

Before 1840, the colony’s economy was principally based on agriculture and raw material exports, mostly to Great Britain, and the majority of imported goods came from England. This economic dependence was mitigated when, in 1846, London established a free-trade policy for Canada and forced its colonies to trade with the United States.

Next page: The Birth of Industrialisation