Montreal Geography Trivia No. 83

Quebec once had a small village called Dixie.

Where is it now?

UPDATE: Enough of you were close that I’ll give it to you. Dixie was a small village (hamlet?) in the 19th century in what is now the lakeshore in western Lachine and eastern Dorval. It had a population of about 300 when it was made part of Lachine. You can see a map of it here from 1894, and another here from 1913 after it became part of Lachine. It only had two roads, Lakeshore Road (now St. Joseph Blvd.) and a “road to station”, which is now 55th Ave.

As Zeke points out below, the name remains in use as that of a small uninhabited island just offshore near where the old town was. And as Jean Naimard points out, there’s also a street in Lachine called Rue Dixie.

25 thoughts on “Montreal Geography Trivia No. 83

  1. dave

    still lots of references to Dixie in Lachine…45th ave was always known as Dixie with I think Dixie travel and maybe another 1 or 2 businesses incorporating the name, Dixie Lanes was the bowling alley and I remember the name “Miss Dixie” as a restaurant but can’t really visualize it. Dixie street runs into both Dixie pool and Dixie Park between 54th and 55th ave. Just west of there in Dorval off of Bouchard is two streets of apartments and a strip mall all known as “Royal Dixie”. Across the street where Queen of Angels is was original site of Royal Montreal Golf Club.

    Reply
    1. UsedToBeOurHangout

      The “Miss Dixie” restaurant was at the very end of the western corner of 45th Avenue at boul. Saint Joseph. That building is no longer there. Today, that restaurant would now be facing a metered parking area and behind it now are a series of large tri-story condos along boul. Saint Joseph.

      Reply
  2. Jim

    There was even a Montreal Tramways Company streetcar out to Dixie. The route was called the “Lachine Extension” or the “92” running from 44th Avenue and Broadway, west on Broadway, north on 45th Avenue, then west on a private right-of-way (most of which today is René Huguet Street) to 56th Avenue (Dixie). The route was single-tracked and only one streetcar served the line shuttling back and forth between the ends of the route.

    Dixie also had its own CNR station (named Dixie) when that railway’s mainline still ran through Lachine. Most of Victoria Street would later be built on the former railway right-of-way after the CNR moved their mainline north of the the old 2 and 20 highway in the very early 1960s. Dixie was served by some local trains and CNR’s West Island commuter trains until the CNR discontinued their West Island commuter service and left it all to the CPR.

    As noted by others, there are still many references to Dixie in business names, a street and an island.

    Reply
    1. Walter

      At one time, the “streetcar” dead-ended at 44th avenue and Broadway, where the tram made a three-way turn to head back to Montreal.

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    1. Marc

      What about the Miss Dixie restaurant on 45th Ave.? Or did the language police make them change the name?

      That closed decades ago. Two banks, two deps, a hair salon, and a vet clinic are all that’s left on 45th.

      Reply
  3. Vicki

    When I was a kid my Mom told me the area was called Dixie because there was a train conductor from the deep South who would say to the disembarking passengers, “Welcome to the land of Dixie!!” because the area reminded him so much of home. The name stuck because the people had become fond of the elderly gentleman. The station was at 56th ave. near Dorval. Over on 45th avenue near St. Joseph’s Blvd. was the Dixie mall, with Miss Dixie Restaurant. Good memories.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous

    The Dixie name lives on at the Royal Montreal Golf Club, now located on Ile Bizard but originally at the western end of Lachine. The course moved there in 1959. There is a 9 hole course called the Dixie along with 2 18 hole courses on Ile Bizard. There is even a competition named ‘the Dixie’ at the golf club.

    Reply

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