Our Story
To celebrate our 30 years as a group, we want to pay tribute to the people and the land involved in what we hope will be an urban nature park for all Montrealers one day.
Les Amis du Parc Meadowbrook – Thirty years of environmental action (in 3 parts)
&
Meadowbrook Through the Centuries–A Timeline – 400 Years of Land Use with early maps
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Thirty years.
The first generation has started to depart and we eagerly await the next.
Why thirty years? Why stick it out for so long?
Anyone who has caught a glimpse of Meadowbrook through its chain-link fence will understand.
From afar, Meadowbrook is a small green gem that provides respite to urban ears and minds from the asphalt jungle.
Take a closer look, and Meadowbrook reveals its many secrets
In summer, it is popular with golfers who play by its brook, a remnant of the once-mighty St. Pierre River that used to flow across southern Montreal.
Come fall, its great trees take on resplendent colours as we bid farewell to birds of passage.
In winter, it is a favourite haunt of birdwatchers and cross-country skiers alike.
When spring returns, it is home to ducks and geese that bathe in its vernal ponds.
To those of you who are fighting for your own sliver of paradise, we humbly offer our experience at spreading the word and convincing the powers that be. May you enjoy your battle as much as we have enjoyed ours!
– Louise Legault
Les Amis du Parc Meadowbrook – Thirty years of environmental action
1989-2019
Click on the links below to begin your interactive journey of Montreal’s political and environmental history in three sections complete with photos, quotes, original news clippings, and links to videos and other documents. Enjoy!
Section 1:
Storming city halls (1989-2002)
When you finish each section, click on the back arrow to return to this page.
Section 2:
Is anyone listening? Howard Barza (2003-2012)
When you finish each section, click on the back arrow to return to this page.
Section 3:
Towards a new park (2012 to 2019)
When you finish each section, click on the back arrow to return to this page.
“Persistence pays off” – Campbell Stuart
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Meadowbrook Through the Centuries–A Timeline of land use
by Angela Rahaniotis
with Sally Cole and Larry Paul
They say in order to move forward you have to look back to understand from where you have come. One of our members came across an old map that seemed to indicate that her ancestors might have once farmed on Meadowbrook. This piqued our interest and led us to trace the history of the area.
Before Meadowbrook was a golf course, it was railway land. And before that farmland. Who were the early settlers and farmers? What did Meadowbrook look like before they started tilling the soil? How did the area change through the ages?
They also say it is better to give than to receive. This then is one of our gifts to you in celebration of our 30th anniversary.
Enjoy a fascinating journey into the past by clicking here!
