Montreal from the Air

You may notice I have a new header image. I had been on the lookout for an image of the skyline of Montreal fro the 1920s or there abouts. I found what I have been looking for in a flickr stream of pictures on Montreal from the air between 1925 and 1935.

Photos aériennes prises pour la Ville de Montréal par la Fairchild Serial Surveys Co. (of Canada) Ltd de Grand-Mère, Québec., entre 1925 et 1935. Ces images nous offrent un aperçu exceptionnel d’un Montréal en pleine expansion, entre 1925 et 1935. La vague d’annexions qui s’est terminée en 1918 confère à la cité agrandie une allure parfois rurale, du fait du grand nombre d’espaces non construits. Les nouveaux quartiers vont se remplir peu à peu de nouveaux habitats, parmi lesquelles le multiplex domine. Les terrains cultivés cèdent progressivement la place à ces constructions, aux installations industrielles ou aux infrastructures routières. Ce lot de photos sur plaque de verre montre notamment les secteurs des usines Angus, du centre-ville, du parc La Fontaine, de ce qui constitue aujourd’hui le Vieux-Montréal, de la montagne, de l’île des Sœurs, de Pointe-Saint-Charles ou de Verdun, ainsi que la construction du pont Jacques-Cartier.

Or, the translated version:

The new districts will gradually fill new habitat, including the multiplex dominates. Cultivated land gradually replaced these buildings, industrial facilities or roads.

Arial photos taken for the City of Montreal by the Fairchild Serial Surveys Co. (of Canada) Ltd of Grand-Mère, Québec., between 1925 and 1935. These images offer us an exceptional view of a booming Montreal, between 1925 and 1935. The wave of annexations which ended in 1918 gives the enlarged city a somewhat rural appearance, due to the large number of un-developed spaces. The new districts will fill little by little with new housing, predominately multiplexes. Cultivated land being replaced gradually by these buildings, and by industrial facilities and by roads. This batch of photos on glass plates shows particularly the the factory sector in Angus, Downtown, La Fontaine Park, in what is now Old Montreal, the mountain, Nun's Island, Pointe-Saint-Charles and Verdun, as well as the construction of the Jacques Cartier Bridge.

Like the blurb says, a great overview of the city. In game terms, perfect for games any time from the early 20s to the start of the Second World War, as from what I have been reading after WWII, there was a real lull in the growth of Montreal. Great to give out with, or indeed instead of a map, especially if the Players manage to get a higher vantage point.