Lithograph of the Forges du St. Maurice at Trois-Rivières.

The ironworks was Canada’s first industrial establishment

 Settlements in the Trois Rivières Region

By 1663 Trois Rivières had three forts on river frontages and was well fortified beyond this to guard settlers against Iroquois attacks.

By then settlers had become concentrated on the north shore of the St. Lawrence in the Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Champlain and Batiscan seigneuries. Many of the men were skilled workers.

By 1692 the settlers and their offspring had extended their territory to Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade, lying to the east of Batiscan, although numbers were relatively small. The south shore and the area around Lake Saint Pierre had a scattering of settlers by this time.

The Forges du St. Maurice ironworks, established in the 1730s and employing a large workforce, greatly improved the area’s economic prospects. However, it was unprofitable, and in the end had to close.

By 1760 both shores of the St. Lawrence and the Lake Saint-Pierre frontages were well occupied by the pioneers and their offspring.