Tuesday, March 31, 2009

History of Flooding in Verdun

I have grouped together in Album no. 47 the photos (4) on the floods wich occurred in Verdun at the turn of the 19th century. I also included a map showing the dike built to prevent the floods. More photos are sure to turn up wich I will add to the Album.

Guy

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2 comments:

Diane Roberts said...

Guy, was the dyke built at the same time as the Boardwalk and do you know when that was? I always thought the Boardwalk was a "Depression" project to keep people working.
Did the floods happen every spring before the dykes were built...if so, it's amazing that they made Verdun such a high density area. My parents moved into 676 Third Ave when it was a brand new building and I wonder if flooding occurred in that area?...Diane

Guy Billard said...

Diane,
The dike was buil in 1896 and had to be hightened at various times due to the increase in height of the water level. Based on a book by Julaien Déziel called 1665 - 1876 - 1976, the first mention of a promenade is in 1923. I don't have the time frame ie the first construction of the "Boardwalk" but my guess is the mid 20s. The wooden structure was removed and replaced with asphalt at the beginning of the 40s.
Guy