Descendants of European immigrants have lived in Chambly since the 17th century, but Chambly was not incorporated as a city until 1965. Samuel de Champlain passed through the area that came to be the site of the town of Chambly, QC, in 1609., when he wrote the following in his journal: The College of Chambly was chartered on March 21, 1835 in Lower Canada.
Chambly is home to the massive Fort Chambly, built with local stone between 1709 and 1711 in the style of Vauban's classic French fortifications. It was built at the mouth of a large basin, on the site of successive wooden forts dating back to 1665. Fort Chambly was the largest in a series of fortifications on the shores of what was known as the Iroquois River. Originally called Fort Saint-Louis, it soon came to be known by the name of its first commanding officer, Jacques de Chambly, to whom the surrounding seigniory was granted in 1672. It was intended to protect New France in general from attack from hostile natives and the English. Today, the fort is run by Parks Canada and is designated a National Historic Site of Canada, and houses a museum and interpretive center, and hosts historical re-enactments of military drills. A small local population clustered around the fort, and the entire area eventually became known as Chambly as well. Among the buildings around the Fort was St. Stephen's Anglican Church, which was built to serve the soldiers in garrison as well as the local Loyalist and English settler population.
Chambly is also known for the Chambly Canal, a National Historic Site run by Parks Canada. It was built in 1843 to bypass several kilometers of successive Richelieu River rapids between the towns of Chambly, QC, and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Part of a series of waterways connecting the SaintLawrence River and New York City, Chambly Canal was built to facilitate commercial traffic between Canada and the United States. Trade dwindled after World War I, and as of the 1970s, traffic has been replaced by recreational vessels. Today the canal is enjoyed by tourists and more than 7,000 pleasure boats in the summer, and ice skaters in the winter. St. Joseph of Chambly Church, at 164 rue Martel, was built between 1880 and 1881. The parish was founded in 1665.
Demographics
The population as of the Canada 2016 Census was 29,120. Although mostly populated today by French Canadians, Chambly has long had a vibrant English citizenry.
Chambly is currently served by a local weekly newspaper called the "Journal de Chambly", first published in 1966. A small daily news sheet called Chambly Matin also maintains a journalistic presence on the internet reporting on local issues.
