There were many industries in Lower Canada. With all the new arrivals and births, the populationPopulation comes from the Latin populus, meaning “the people.” We say population when we talk about a group... was growing and people needed all kinds of products.
It was no longer like in the days of New France where people made almost everything themselves. Now people bought clothes, furniture, cookware, stoves, etc. There were now many more industries than at the time of New France, and their growth was limited only by the resourcesResources are anything taken from the earth or nature that people need, use, and are "valued".... that were available in each region.
At the Forges du Saint-Maurice in Trois-Rivieres and Batiscan, the specialty was metals. These forges manufactured heating stoves, plough shares and spoons. Nearly 300 workers, most of them French Canadians, worked at these forges.
In Montréal, there were several types of industries. The specialty was leather. There were many tanneries and cobbler shops where hides were turned into shoes and harnesses.
Near the Ottawa River on the border of Upper Canada, there were many sawmills. With all the wood that was being cut in the forests of Upper Canada, they certainly had no difficulty in obtaining supplies. In the Portneuf area, there were flour mills and pottery was manufactured there.
There were many different types of industries, but they all had one thing in common: it was artisanal work in which everything was made by hand. One day, machines would help them work faster.
See also – Traces of the past:
