Quintessential Québec City: The Plains of Abraham and its Historic Battles

Québec City will always stand-out from amongst the other big cities in Canada. Its charming quaintness emanates from a blend of North American and European cultures that is not intrinsically and purely North American, but not comprehensively European either. Rather, it has a unique characteristic that embraces the combined heritage of all the peoples that have lived in that land while never losing touch with its French connections. The result is a seamless amalgamation of various elements of culture that gives it its very own distinct identity.

It is not unusual to hear first time visitors say that being in the city is like being in Europe, but after at least half a day, they’d realize that they are very much still in North America. It happened to me.

The first time I set foot in Québec City on a cruise many years back, I felt transported to another continent as our ship docked at the Saint-Lawrence River and I got a glimpse of the old stone houses in the distance. It was nothing like Vancouver or Toronto…and even its sister city, Montréal.

The architecture, the language, the vibe, the air of antiquity, particularly in the Old Town, all scream, “I am ancient and I have a long, colourful story to tell…” Yet, after my encounter with the locals, I knew I was still home. This is still Canada…but the wonderfully whimsical part of Canada. And I never get tired of exploring it every time I go back.

Our 2017 visit to Québec City was the longest one, out of our other trips. That time, we stayed for five days to watch the parade and enjoy the festivities of Les Fêtes de la Nouvelle-France (The New France Festival). We spent a lot of time wandering around and getting to know its neighbourhoods a little better.

In 2018, we went back to accompany our son when he participated in a national chess tournament. We stayed for four days. In between matches and after the last match of each day, we’d go for walks and sightseeing.

This series will be about the neighbourhoods that we explored.

Plains of Abraham

With 103 hectares of meadows and grassy knolls spanning the former military grounds between Grande Allée and the cliffs overlooking the St. Lawrence River, the Plains of Abraham is Québec’s version of the Central Park in New York or Hyde Park in London, only, it has old cannons, war monuments, towers, and commemorative war plaques scattered all around.

It is a favourite local spot for picnics, ball games, running, cycling, and skating in the summer, and skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. Thousands flock here for concerts and festival events in the summer, like the Festival D’Ete de Québec, and in the winter, a slew of winter activities is held here as part of the Winter Carnival.

But it has not always been rosy, for this site has been the stage for many fiery classes for supremacy between the French and the British Empires that culminated in the Battle of Québec in 1759. This momentous battle saw General Louis-Joseph Montcalm’s French forces and General James Wolfe’s British troops face off in a fight for control of the town and the surrounding territory that determined the fate of New France in the North American continent.

The British victory was certainly a turning point in Canadian history and has significantly influenced Québec’s culture, architecture, defensive works, and urban planning.

The development of this park took 50 years. When the British military left the city in 1871, a consensus was drawn that this vast green space, which is also a heritage site, was to be preserved and transformed into a city park.

In 1901, the federal government acquired the first tract of land and planned for its inauguration to coincide with that of the Pont of Québec and the celebration of the 150^th anniversary of the battle. However, the bridge’s collapse delayed this. The plan was revived the following year and several more plots were acquired, but work was interrupted by the First World War until the late 1920s. In the 1930s, during The Great Depression, the demolition of several buildings on the plains took place and the city also built a large reservoir under one of the towers. Then the Second World War once again halted the work, which did not resume until 1952.

Many people ask why it is called Plains of Abraham. Was Abraham a war general? Not really, for the name dates back to the early years of New France, when the term was part of a popular parlance.

From 1635 to 1667, a section of the plains belonged to Abraham Martin, a farmer, not a general. He is also the King’s “pilot” (not an airline pilot, but a river pilot) and a good friend to Samuel de Champlain. His cattle used to graze these lands. In fact, the path he took to lead his cows down to drink at the St-Charles River is the present-day Côte-d’Abraham.

We had the pleasure to meet “Abraham Martin” during our trip here in 2016. My husband and I took our son for a historical excursion and we did the Abraham’s Bus Tour with Mr. Abraham himself.

Garbed in 17^th-century costume, he had his small, yellow tour bus decorated with cow patches. He even introduced us to one of his cows (a cute, stuffed bovine) that he brought along for the ride. For 45 minutes, we drove around the property and made a few stopovers at key sites – Jardin Jeanne D’Arc, the point closest to La Citadelle, the barracks, the old jail, The Martello Towers, the reservoir, The Lookout, the passageway taken by the British forces, and the exact site of their face-off with the French.

All throughout the trip, he regaled us with brave war stories and shared a few anecdotes.  He also described the battles in detail, pausing at the right moments to add his personal reflections. Unlike boring history teachers (but in all honesty, I have not been cursed with one; all my history classes were conducted by brilliant and passionate history buffs), made all these battle tales come alive that for a moment, we’d thought soldiers were going to show up from behind the bushes.

Our favourite stops were La Citadelle, The Martello Towers, and The Lookout.

La Citadelle

My husband and I have toured La Citadelle when we were in the city for our honeymoon many years back. The impressive star-shaped fortress is part of Québec City’s massive defensive system along with the four gates, the three Martello Towers, and the ramparts encircling the Old Town.  Erected between 1820 and 1850 (30 years in the making!), La Citadelle was the largest British fortress in North America at that time and was intended to defend the city against an American invasion that never happened. It has also been dubbed as the “Girbraltar of the Americas” by no other than author Charles Dickens when he visited Québec in 1842.

Our guided tour that time included a look at the regimental museum and the historic sites within. As we were there in early October, we did not get the chance to see the Changing of the Guard “ceremony (held daily at 10 a.m.) and the Beating of the Retreat ceremony (a shift-end drum ceremony held every Saturday at 6 p.m.) because these events happen only in the summer. Both ceremonies feature soldiers from the Royal 22^nd Regiment in their impressive red ceremonial uniforms with black bearskin hats.

I guess these are similar to the Changing of the Guard ceremony held in Ottawa at Parliament Hill which I had seen several times, so we did not really miss a lot.

Interestingly, the Royal 22^nd Regiment that calls this military base home, is the only French-speaking regiment in the Canadian Army. They are also called “Van Doos,” a bastardized term from the French vingt-deux, meaning, “twenty-two.” There is a museum inside the fortress dedicated to this regiment.

On our most recent trip with our then-six-year-old son, we did not exactly go to La Citadelle but rather viewed it from a point at the Plains of Abraham and we were there on the wrong day at the wrong time, so we didn’t get to see any of the ceremonies. Nevertheless, our son had a good view of it, and he was contented with just scampering about the ramparts.

The Lookout

We had a long stop at The Lookout, known as the Grey Terrace, for this was where we spent our 15-minute break from the bus tour. There was a concession stand there selling snacks, as well as washrooms. Mr. Abraham told us that this is the highest point in Québec City. From this vantage point, you can see far and wide, giving you a sweeping view of the entire city over cliff hills. Standing there makes one realize why this area was chosen to be the centre of defence for the city in those days.

From The Lookout, one can access a set of stairs that leads down to a boardwalk trail called Promenade des Gouverneurs. This elevated trail connects the park to La Citadelle then stretches along the fortress with the fortification wall on one side and a gorgeous view of the St. Lawrence River on the other side. It continues to Terrasse Dufferin in the Upper Old Town then down to the Escalier casse-cou leading to the Lower Old Town.

We descended the stairs and took pictures. I am pretty sure that if we had the time, my boys would undoubtedly walk until the end of the path. Downhill is not so bad, but we’ve seen people who did it the other way around going uphill. Oh my! That, for me, is an intense form of exercise. No, thank you!

From there, we could also see another trail. Mr. Abraham proudly told us that the park commission is redeveloping Gilmour Hill, which includes a safe road for vehicles and a second path winding through the steep, wooded areas for pedestrians and cyclists. The new Plains of Abraham Trail was inaugurated in May 2016, just a few months before we took this tour. My boys will take this trail anytime as well, and maybe I’d consider it next time.

Martello Towers

We stopped briefly at Martello Tower 1, standing on a cliff overlooking the Plains of Abraham. This early 19^th-century, two-storey, flat-roofed defensive cylindrical tower was one of the four originally built by the British to serve as elevated gun platforms and as a first line of defence within the ensemble of fortifications.  It was supposed to prevent an attacker from drawing close enough to the walls to lay siege.

The tower’s walls are built of rubble masonry, and its exterior walls inclines slightly inwards as it rises. Shuttered windows and an arched doorway pierce the wall on the second level. These open to the interior and are accessed by an exterior stairway. Near the top of the wall, the structure is encircled by a stone parapet and a terrace that goes all around. To me, it looks like a very elegant silo. We were told that the four towers were designed as an interlocking defence system that could be destroyed from the fort if overrun by enemies.

We did not go inside but Mr. Abraham mentioned that it has an exhibit that presents the tower’s engineering history as well as the living conditions of soldiers billeted in the towers. The tour is not the usual kind with a tour guide. Instead, it’s some kind of augmented reality tour where the participants are handed tablets loaded with apps that interact with the exhibit.  You can click on the screen the number assigned to the exhibit item and you will get an audio-visual presentation. He added that we could always go back after the official bus tour is over.

We didn’t do it due to lack of time, and on those afternoon walks that I took there on our most recent visit, I’d often get there shortly before or much after closing time. I was happy with just climbing the stairs and taking pictures of the river and the cannons and benches along the promontory beside it from the terrace. Once, I claimed a secluded bench on the cliff all to myself, put my feet up, and read my book while enjoying the breeze, with the bird calls and the hum of small boats in the background.

Martello Tower 2, which is also inside the park at the corner of Rue Wilfrid-Laurier and Rue Taché, looks exactly like the first one. But we were told it only opens for special events, like the lively interactive theatre show entitled, “Convict’s Last Drink,” a mock-trial of a soldier accused of crime in which the audience will decide his fate while sampling homemade beers. There is also another mystery dinner show inspired by the 1814 Council of War held there regularly in which participants must discover who among them is the “traitor” while enjoying a feast. In previous years, the tower has also been converted into a spooky place for a Halloween event. I’m sure one’s imagination would run wild in such a dramatic setting.

Martello Tower 4, on the other hand, is located outside the park, on the edge of the Sainte-Geneviève hillside between Rue Félix-Gabriel Marchand and Rue Philippe-Dorion in an urban, residential neighbourhood. It is closed to the public but can be photographed from a distance. We did not get to see this one as it is offsite, but I think by looking at the first two, we pretty much have a good idea what it’s like.

And in case you are wondering, Martello Tower 3 is gone, that’s why I didn’t mention it. It used to be located on the north side of Boulevard Réne-Levesque between Rue Turnbull and Rue Claire-Fontaine.  It was torn down in 1905 to make way for the construction of the McKenzie Memorial Building of the Jefferey Hale Hospital.

Plains of Abraham Museum

Our little bus brought us back to the Plains of Abraham Museum where we commenced our tour. After thanking Mr. Abraham and wishing him a good day, we went inside and bought tickets to see the exhibits and the video presentation. There were four levels of exhibitions.

On the ground floor, 150 replicas of historical objects from New France up to the beginning of the 20^th century were on display – pieces of furniture, clothing, pottery, and other everyday period objects. There is also a small section that features authentic creations crafted by students.

On the 2^nd floor, there were more than 100 artefacts from the park’s archeological collection that gives us an idea what life was like for residents of a 17^th-century civilian site and a 19^th-century military site.

On the 3^rd floor, there were more artefacts, but these ones came from the more prominent archeological sites on the Battlefields Park – Des Braves Park, Martello Tower 2, Cove Fields, and the advanced blockhouse of the temporary citadel. They are catalogued by themes: housing, layout, food, communication, entertainment, and clothing. In fact, on one side are mannequins that model the military gear of various groups from various periods. There were also large maps, dioramas, and scale models of military camps and battle formations.

The top floor has a mini-theatre were a 30-minute screening of the 1759 Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759 and the 1760 Battle of Ste-Foy is shown in both English and French. As we waited for our turn, there was an interactive exhibit outside that gives information on military camp life, skirmishes, battle strategies, regiments, clothing, weapons, justice systems, and such.

My husband and son enjoyed posing inside the tent, pretending to be soldiers on break from duty and writing a letter home by the dim light of a lamp. Our son also had fun with the drums, learning and trying to replicate the different drum rhythms used by the military in those days for various commands.

And all three of us took turns posing as condemned criminals in the pillory, a wooden framework with holes for securing the head and the hands, in which an offender was imprisoned and exposed to public humiliation and further abuse. Around the offender’s neck, they hang a wooden sign that declares the crime he committed.

For my photo, I chose to be a “drunkard.” And in keeping with the theme, I posed beside old tankards of ale so I could have “before” and “after” pictures. Apparently, during the wartime years, soldiers were supplied with lots of ale. It was believed that alcohol was an antidote to cabin fever and they also used alcohol to trade with the natives to gain their support.

In those days as well, women played important roles for the war effort, but they were also condemned of various crimes if they were vagrants or of ill-repute. The park, at that time, offered refuge for all kinds of social misfits and prostitutes and apparently, in the 19^th century, a number of brothels were established on the approaches to the Plains of Abraham and the nearby Wolfe Hotel was supposedly a bawdy house. The main clients of these prostitutes and tavern workers were the soldiers and sailors posted in Québec City.

These women were arrested, humiliated, and punished. I gamely posed beside a blanket that has a list of the terms used to label these offenders – “strumpet,” “lady of the night,” “doxie,” “courtesan,” “femme libertine,” “night walker,” “fille à soldat,” “coureuse de garçon,” “femme mauvaise vie,” “garce,” and so on. I must say they are pretty creative.

We also took turns in opening the various locks on a wooden door using old-fashioned keys to discover the most popular crimes of those days – theft, assault, fraud, duels, sacrilege, disturbing the peace, and the corresponding punishments – flogging, canning, branding, firing squad, running the gauntlet, banishment, and hanging. That was the most fun waiting period we’ve ever spent.

When it was time for us to go to the theatre, our son turned somber. We weren’t sure if it was because the theatre was dark and quiet, or if it was because he could sense the seriousness of the subject matter to be presented. The theatre wasn’t full, so we had enough space to move around and the option to choose the best seats for us. We stayed at the back since our son was feeling quite anxious.

There was house music and, on the screen, a still shot depicting the battles was projected. Our then-six-year-old son asked, “Is it okay for me to watch this, Mommy?” My husband and I normally regulate our son’s TV watching and we screen the contents of the shows he is watching – definitely no violence and no morally-questionable subjects. Our son knows what he is allowed and not allowed to see and he understands why. He was probably thinking that this film would have a lot of fighting and killing based on what was projected on the screen.

We reassured him that it is fine and explained that this is more of a visual storytelling than an actual movie. He relaxed when the presentation started. The film was an informative yet very poignant account of the siege of Québec from the perspectives of French, British, Canadian, and Amerindian protagonists. It was not a live action film, but they made good use of images, animation, maps, audio narratives, and music.

When the film ended, our son was still quiet, and we could tell he absorbed all the information and have taken them to heart. He said, “War is not good, Mom.” And I agreed. I, myself, have learned a lot. I did not grow up in Canada, so I did not study its history as a schoolgirl, but as I left the theatre, I had a better understanding of what happened here and how history still affects the current generation of Canadians.

There are other interesting activities offered by the parks commission and maybe when we go back, we’ll allot some time for at least one of them. There are theatre-style tours wherein participants explore a particular event in history led by guides dressed in period costumes, and in some cases, playing historical characters – an early 20^th-century snowshoer from the Belle Époque era teaching you how to navigate the snow with the use of old-style winter implements; a contest between Generals Montcalm and Wolfe with audience participation in musket loading and answering questions about military procedures and battlefield surgery; an officer stationed at the Martello Tower teaching you how to manage life there during the war; a trek through the fields with lanterns pretending to be an Irish settler who survived the crossing while fleeing famine and starting a new life in the new country; or touring the premises with a member of the Canadian militia. These are catered for every age group.

To mark certain key days in history, re-enactments are also held where participants can travel back in time amidst the sound of rifle and cannon fires and march with soldiers and militia. In the summer, there are open-air musical evenings with bandstands, greenhouse exhibitions, and interpretative hiking excursions. They also offer day camps for children, and of course, Halloween and Christmas events. We will definitely be back.