|
Over the centuries, watercraft in myriad forms have plied the waters in the area that is now the marine park: birch-bark canoes, Basque and French vessels, tall ships, steamers, merchant shipping…
Marine traffic became particularly heavy in the 19th century when the forestry industry depended entirely on waterways for transportation, and cruise ships from the Great Lakes regularly made their way down the St. Lawrence via Montréal and Québec City.
As the estuary is often shrouded in fog, the shipping lanes had to be marked and lighthouses installed to guide the increasing marine traffic along the waterway. Six of these beacons still stand in the protected area of the marine park and five in its coordination area. |
|