Excavation was the first commissioned by Laval in a half-century
An archaeological excavation conducted recently in the Saint-Rose district of Laval produced some interesting finds, as well as some potential treasures for safekeeping and posterity.
Incredibly enough, an area on Sainte-Rose Blvd. that is now the parking lot for Sainte-Rose-de-Lima Church served at one time for the foundations of an 18th century church.
Concealed cadavers
However, on the same site, nearly 7,000 bodies were found during the archeological dig commissioned by the City of Laval, with some lying just below the ground’s surface.
According to professional archaeologist Justine Tetreault, some of the remains came from the two cholera epidemics that swept through Laval in the 1830s. Across Montreal and other regions of Quebec, thousands of lives were lost.
The excavation was the first the City of Laval commissioned since the last one 50 years ago. The month-long search revealed many artifacts indicating a pattern in the growth of the former village of Sainte-Rose.
