What I know about Rigaud

I am having a very hard time locating information regarding any sort of granite foundry or granite mining etc., on Mont Rigaud. I have, however, located a bit of information about the rock fields we stumbled across on our way up the mountain, as well as some other interesting tidbits about the area.

The unusual, natural rock garden is known as the "champs de patates." According to legend, it was once a potato field that was turned to stone by God because a local farmer decided to plow his field during the Sabbath.



Rigaud was the hiding place for Charlie Wilson, a fugitive who was one of the leaders of the notorious Great train robbery in England in 1963. The heist netted the gang £2.6 million and it was noted for its meticulous planning with no guns being used.



Only when his wife made the mistake of telephoning his parents in England was Scotland Yard able to track him down. He was later shot and killed in Spain.



The area was also known for its "tree farms" in the 1960's and 1970's, providing a tax shelter for the well off, until the tax laws were later changed to require harvesting of those "tree farms".

The outdoor church is named the Sanctuaire Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes de Rigaud. It is actually a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Since 1874, this pilgrimage site called "Le Lourdes Canadien" has become a peaceful oasis.

Comments

"E" squared said…
Aren't you the "Research Historian Buff"... very interesting (leave it to a lady to ruin all the fun & money... hahaha)!

Captain Blog refreshes my thoughts with high school Social Studies and you with History! Maybe the two of you should open a school, you'd make great teachers!!
Anonymous said…
The truth is that these "fields" are actually “model roads” constructed and maintained by Transport Quebec as a basis to determine when a Quebec roadway or highway is due for resurfacing (criteria: the road being analyzed must be of inferior quality).

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