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Detail of an illustration by J. L. Wiseman Des. & Pub., Montréal, in 1909.
Musée de Lachine archives, DAM-2014-007
59. Dawes Brewery
Britons who settled in Canada after 1760 were disappointed to find that local beers were nothing like the ales and porters they were used to. And so, since imported brews were expensive, English immigrants like the Molson family began producing beers tailored to the tastes of their compatriots.
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In 1826, farmer and brewmaster Thomas Dawes (about 1785-1863) chose to settle on the banks of Lake Saint-Louis. In those days, Lachine was still a rural parish whose economy depended on agriculture, fur trade transport and inland navigation. But the opening of the first Lachine Canal the previous year boded well for growth that Dawes predicted would surpass that of Montréal.
