To retrace the rich historical past of Saint-Bernard Island, you have to go back
4,000 years, to the time when Amerindian groups occupied the territory. Several archaeological excavations carried out over the years have confirmed that this stopover on the St. Lawrence was highly appreciated by these occupants. Several centuries later, in 1673, Île Saint-Bernard welcomed its first lord, Sieur Charles Lemoyne de Longueuil. He had the first mansion built there, a wooden fortification accompanied by a chapel, as well as a windmill. Then, the years followed one another, as well as the lords. In 1765, Marguerite d'Youville, founder of the Gray Nuns of Montreal, acquired the seigneury of Châteauguay to become its last seigneuress. For more than 200 years, the Gray Nuns have inhabited the island and protected the territory. The nuns planted an orchard and a small dairy farm there, in addition to growing wheat, barley, oats, buckwheat and vegetables. “Protecting life in all its forms”, the adage of the Gray Nuns, has made it possible to preserve an exceptional natural territory, the Marguerite-D’Youville wildlife refuge, protected in perpetuity.