Granted to the Jesuits in 1636, Île Jésus—an island surrounded by the Mille-Îles and Prairies rivers and lac des Deux-Montagnes—was almost exclusively used as farmland for more than 2 centuries. In the early 1900s, the slowly urbanizing Île Jésus became a popular destination for vacationers visiting from Montréal, just south across the Rivière des Prairies. Over time a speckled landscape of villages began to emerge, and 14 separate municipalities on the island amalgamated to form the city of Laval in 1965. Learn More...