| -10 000 |
It is very probable that indigenous Asians navigated the St. Lawrence River some 10,000 years ago. |
| ≈500 |
Basque fishermen came to fish whales on the St. Lawrence. |
| ≈1000 |
Presence of Vikings on the coasts of Labrador. |
| 1534 |
First voyage of Jacques Cartier. |
| 1535 |
Second voyage of Jacques Cartier who went up the river until the Lachine rapids. |
| 1541 |
Last voyage of Jacques Cartier. |
| 1600 |
Foundation of Tadoussac (eight years before Quebec!). |
| 1608 |
Foundation of Quebec City by Samuel de Champlain. |
| 1634 |
Foundation of Trois-Rivieres by Laviolette. |
| 1642 |
Foundation of Montreal by Maisonneuve. |
| 1647 |
Abraham Martin became the first King’s Pilot on the St. Lawrence. |
| 1711 |
Ten ships from the English fleet of Admiral Walker were shipwrecked close to Île-aux-Œufs, a tragedy which put an end to attempts to capture New France. |
| 1730 |
First road suitable for transportation between Quebec and Montreal: the Chemin du Roy.
|
| 1763 |
Royal proclamation that specified the exact limits separating the river from the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
|
| 1809 |
Inauguration of the first lighthouse on the river, on Île Verte offshore from Tadoussac.
|
| 1860 |
Creation of the first pilots’ corporation, the Corporation of Pilots for and below the Harbour of Quebec. |
| 1867 |
A total of 23 lighthouses guided navigators along the St. Lawrence River. |
| 1912 |
(April 15) Shipwreck of the Titanic offshore from Newfoundland. |
| 1914 |
(May 29) Shipwreck of the Empress of Ireland offshore from Rimouski. More than 1,000 dead. For more information: Pointe-au-Père Maritime Historical Society. |
| 1942 |
First presence of German submarines in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In two years, these submarines would attack 25 ships in the gulf, causing numerous shipwrecks and killing hundreds of people. |
| 1959 |
Opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. |
| 1959 |
Relocation of the Pointe-au-Père pilot station to Les Escoumins. |
| 1960 |
Foundation of the Corporation of Lower St. Lawrence Pilots. |
| 1971 |
Inauguration of the Ultramar refinery terminal. |
| 1972 |
Adoption of the Canadian Pilotage Act. |
| 1984 |
Gathering of about sixty large sailboats on the St. Lawrence River on the occasion of Quebec 1984. |
| 1986 |
Inauguration of the first Pilot House in Canada. |
| 1994 |
Coming of the Alexita, the largest ship ever to negotiate the waters of the St. Lawrence River. |
| 2004 |
The Port of Quebec welcomes the largest liner in the world:
the Queen Mary II. |
| 2005 |
Inauguration of the Maritime Simulation and Resource Centre operated by the Corporation of Lower St. Lawrence Pilots. |
