To discover the extraordinary history of this neighbourhood, and its many transformations, one must go back to 1860. Then, Montreal's city limits ended at Duluth. A horse ride away was the countryside. We are in the village of St-Jean Baptiste. The economy is booming.
Villagers move to the city, looking for jobs.
They bring along the recipe for bagels. Up until this day, some people prefer Fairmount bagels while others like St-Viateur's better. Despite the friendly feud over which is best, everybody in Montreal loves bagels and visitors can't skip town without stopping on Fairmount St. or St Viateur, any time of the day or night and take a bagful, back home. The Mile-end is very busy, and the village is growing. Shops and stores are opening everywhere.