Three centuries had passed since Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1608 on the land that would become Québec City. Seeing its strategic value for building alliances with Indigenous Peoples for the fur trade, he laid the foundation for a French colony in the Americas that would further profit the mother country. 

For the people of Québec City and the Canadian government, this milestone was the perfect chance to create a sprawling urban park. The festivities were nothing short of grand, drawing thousands of visitors and capturing the attention of not just the city, but all of Canada and the wider British Empire. 

The origins of the Quebec Tercentenary celebrations

Honoré-Julien-Jean-Baptiste Chouinard, a lawyer and city clerk, was one of the first to champion a large-scale event to mark Québec City’s 300th anniversary. 

In 1904, he wrote an article on the subject for the Québec Daily Telegraph and lobbied the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste (SSJB) to take up the cause. He proposed detailed and ambitious ideas, including an outdoor mass and a national exhibition covering history, archaeology, industry and fine arts. At first, his pitch did not gain much traction, but he eventually succeeded in sparking the Société’s interest in March 1906.

The SSJB, however, did not have the resources to fund such a major undertaking on its own. It turned to Québec City’s municipal administration for support. Newly elected mayor George Garneau saw the celebrations as the perfect pretext for upgrading city infrastructure and reinvigorating the local economy. He quickly formed a tercentenary committee and took on the role of chair.

At the same time, discussions were underway about creating a major park in Upper Town on the Plains of Abraham to commemorate the battles fought there 150 years earlier. While this idea raised concerns among some French Canadians, the planning pressed on. 

Given the scale—and cost—of the project, Garneau insisted that all levels of government contribute. This would not be just a French-Canadian celebration. As he and other supporters argued, Québec City is rightly regarded as the cradle of the Canadian nation.”[1]

And so, two ambitious projects took shape simultaneously: the grand celebrations for Québec City’s 300th anniversary and the creation of Battlefields Park. 

A pricey endeavour

Chouinard’s vision was truly ambitious: grand historical processions, an outdoor mass, a full-scale reconstruction of Champlain’s Habitation (residence) and warships docked in Québec City’s harbour. But beyond the spectacle, he also envisioned lasting investments—restoring the city’s fortifications, building a history museum and, most notably, transforming the Plains of Abraham into a vast urban park. Of course, these grand ideas required a big budget. 

To secure funding, Mayor Garneau went straight to Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier. He brought a carefully selected delegation: the rector of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, a representative of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec and Chouinard himself, acting as secretary. The assemblage was intentionally designed to reflect the bilingual and multi-faith nature of the project. 

They also had a powerful ally in Ottawa: Governor General Albert Henry George Grey. Grey was convinced of the need to honour the British and French soldiers who had fought on the Plains in 1759 and 1760 with a commemorative park. To acquire the space needed, he advocated for the demolition of several structures, including the city’s common jail, the astronomical observatory and the Ross Rifle Factory near Martello Tower 1. He even envisioned a colossal statue—the “Angel of Peace”—that would surpass the Statue of Liberty in height. To fund it all, he launched a massive fundraising campaign across Canada and throughout the British Empire, aiming to raise two million dollars. 

Laurier eventually agreed to fund the project under the conditions that the celebrations would be managed by a federal commission and Quebec’s provincial government would also contribute financially. 

Delays in passing the bill needed to establish the commission postponed the celebrations to 1909, to coincide with the planned inauguration of the Québec Bridge. But when the bridge tragically collapsed in August 1907, plans had to change once again. Finally, on January 10, 1908, it was confirmed—the tercentenary celebrations would go ahead that year. That left the executive committee just six months to organize it all.

On March 17, 1908, the federal government officially passed the act creating Québec City’s National Battlefields Commission. With Garneau as its first chair, the Commission was not only responsible for organizing the tercentenary festivities but also had the authority to acquire land for what would become a national park.

A community comes together

With the July 1908 deadline looming, the workload was enormous. Fortunately, by 1906, multiple committees had already been set up to define the project and then bring it to life. 

The Committee on History and Archaeology was headed by historian Thomas Chapais. Their responsibilities ranged from commemorative plaques, stamps and souvenir medals to ensuring the faithful reproduction of historical elements—such as Champlain’s ship, Don de Dieu, which had carried him to Québec City. 

They also oversaw the grand historical pageants to be performed on the Plains of Abraham. Given the scale of the production, directing duties were handed to Frank Lascelles, a renowned English pageant master who had organized Oxford’s historical re-enactment the previous year. 

Some of Québec City’s most recognized personalities also contributed to the effort. Painter Charles Huot designed the elaborate costumes, while conductor and composer Joseph Vézina created the musical score for key scenes. Historian and journalist Ernest Myrand wrote the scripts and speeches. There was the massive task of recruiting thousands of actors and extras—and making costumes for all of them. 

Meanwhile, the other committees were also hard at work. The Committee on Hotels and Lodgings had to rely on members’ ingenuity to find accommodations for the thousands of tourists expected to arrive. Hotels and rooms in private lodgings would not be nearly enough, so they built an entire “tent city” on the Plains of Abraham. A total of 750 tents were erected, providing shelter for 3,200 visitors. 

The whole city was decorated for the occasion. Buildings were draped with banners, residents decorated their homes and flags fluttered in the breeze. Everywhere, nods to the city’s storied past were proudly on display.

Québec City in jubilation

The festivities took place from July 19 to 31, 1908. Tourists and dignitaries from all over surged into Québec City. The members of the Association de la Jeunesse canadienne-française opened the event with a procession to the Champlain monument. 

The Prince of Wales himself, future King George V, was there to represent the king from July 22 to 29. Thousands gathered on the Plains of Abraham, the slopes of the Citadelle and the clifftops to witness his arrival on the river. He took part in celebrations held all around the city.

The most popular event of the festivities took place on the Plains of Abraham: the grand historical re-enactments of key moments in the history of Québec City and New France. These pageants showcased famous figures, from Jacques Cartier to generals Wolfe and Montcalm, religious and military history, and several popular French-Canadian songs. 

Québec City’s tercentenary celebrations were a resounding success and a great source of pride, filling the city with excitement. During these celebrations, the presence of the King’s representative provided an opportunity to reaffirm in public speeches the commitment to transform the Plains of Abraham into a true park. 

Battlefields Park is the most significant legacy of these celebrations. It stands as both a testament to the historical importance of the site and to the enduring attachment, still felt today, of the people of Québec City to the Plains of Abraham. 

You may also like