in 19th-century Beauharnois by
Katherine Ellice (who was held prisoner here) During the
Lower Canada Rebellion, the
Battle of Beauharnois was fought in 1838, between Lower Canada loyalists and Patriote rebels. After
Edward Ellice and his family were taken prisoner by rebels, the townspeople rebelled. The British were able to quash the rebellion and captured over a hundred Patriote rebels. The
Beauharnois Canal was dug between 1842 and 1845 to connect the lakes
Saint-Louis and
Saint-Francois as part of a larger project that included the expansion of the
Lachine canal. During these years, however, a series of labor conflicts emerged during the canal's construction. On June 3, 1843, a strike began at the canal's construction site. A battle ensued between the striking workers and employers, resulting in the death of five workers and 50 additional injured. The violence unleashed during the strike represented the bloodiest repression against workers in Canadian history. As part of the
2000–2006 municipal reorganization in Quebec, the neighbouring towns of
Maple Grove and Melocheville were amalgamated into Beauharnois on January 1, 2002. ==Geography==