Forges du Saint-Maurice
| Forges du Saint-Maurice | |
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 Location of Forges du Saint-Maurice.
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| General information | |
| Type | Ironworks |
| Location | Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada |
| Coordinates | 46°23′50″N 72°39′35″W / 46.3971999°N 72.6597000°W |
| Construction started | 1730 |
| Official name | Forges du Saint-Maurice National Historic Site of Canada |
| Designated | 1973 |
Forges du Saint-Maurice ("St. Maurice Ironworks"), just outside Trois-Rivières, Quebec, is a National Historic Site of Canada, and birthplace of the country's iron industry.
Forges du Saint-Maurice was created on 25 March 1730, the second company (after the failure of the first) granted a monopoly to employ the iron ore deposits at Trois-Rivières.
The forge started working in 1738 and remained in virtually continuous operation until closing. It employed about 100 craftsmen (most originally from Burgundy) and 300-400 labourers in production of forged and molded iron products, including pots, pans, and stoves. Director François-Étienne Cugnet went bankrupt in 1742, leading to a state takeover and handover to Britain after the Treaty of Paris.
In 1747, the company experimented unsuccessfully with cannon making and steel production.
From 1738 into the mid-1830s, the Forges were "the most technologically advanced ironworks in America", but had become the oldest operating blast furnace in North America, and far out of date, by the time it shut down for good in March 1883.
In 1973, Forges du Saint-Maurice became a national historic park. Archaeological research there continues.
Coordinates: 46°23′54″N 72°39′28″W / 46.39833°N 72.65778°W
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