The written history of Lacolle can be traced back to July 4, 1609, when
Samuel de Champlain and his entourage stopped briefly at the mouth of a small stream for a meal before continuing southward up the
Richelieu River into the
lake which now bears his name. In his
journal, Champlain referred to the location of the delta as "Lacole". When translated literally, the term means the neck of a bottle or that which is above the shoulders. Lacolle was the site of three battles in the early 19th Century. Two of the battles took place during the
War of 1812. The
Battle of Lacolle Mills (1812) was a short engagement in which a small garrison of
Canadien Militia, with the assistance of
Kahnawake Mohawk warriors, defended a makeshift log
blockhouse from an American invasion force led by Major General
Henry Dearborn. In the
Battle of Lacolle Mills (1814) a garrison of 80 men of the
13th Regiment of Foot and a
Congreve rocket detachment of the
Royal Marine Artillery, later reinforced by a company of the
Canadian Voltigeurs and the
Grenadier company of the
Canadian Fencibles successfully defended a blockhouse and stone
mill building from an attacking American force of 4,000 men led by Major General
James Wilkinson. The
Battle of Lacolle was fought on November 7, 1838, between
Loyal Lower Canada volunteer forces under Major
John Scriver and
Lower Canada rebels under Colonel
Ferdinand-Alphonse Oklowski. The half hour battle ended in a rebel defeat.
Roxham Road is located in Lacolle. Between 2017 and 2023, said road would be the main entry point for asylum seekers in Canada seeking to avoid the application of the
Safe Third Country Agreement. ==Demographics==