Editing Plains of Abraham (section)

==History==
[[File:Plaines d'Abraham 1784.png|thumb|right|The Plains of Abraham, 1784]]
[[File:Image taken from page 207 of 'The Great Battles of the British Army. ... With coloured illustrations. (New edition.)' (11181233274).jpg|thumb|Wolfe on the Heights of Abraham (from an 1885 book)]]
On September 13, 1759, the area was the scene of the [[Battle of the Plains of Abraham]], part of the [[French and Indian War]] (1754–63), which preceded, then became a theatre of, the [[Seven Years' War]] (1756–63). On that date, [[British Army|British soldiers]] under the command of General Wolfe, climbed the steep cliff under the city in darkness, surprising and defeating the [[French army|French]], through a single deadly volley of musket fire, causing the battle to be over within 30 minutes. Both Wolfe and the French commander, the Marquis de Montcalm, died of their wounds, but the battle left control of Quebec City to the British, eventually allowing them to take control of Canada the following year.

The plains thereafter remained nondescript fields, with only a monument to Wolfe as a reminder of the events that took place. As Quebec City grew, development of the plains took place unabated, and hundreds of acres were built over.<ref name=Wood1911 /> Only in 1901 did government intervention come, when the proposed subdivision of {{convert|88|acre}} of the area was halted by the purchase of the land by the [[Monarchy of Canada|Dominion Crown]]. At the same time, however, another area of the plains was taken and, despite public protest, covered by a [[Ross rifle]] factory, which included a water tank built upon an existing [[Martello tower]]. A movement to preserve the site continued, nonetheless, and by 1904, the [[Literary and Historical Society of Quebec]] was permitted by the federal government to put up plaques at various significant spots around the vicinity. The following year, a proposal for the establishment of an Historic Landmarks Association was placed before the [[Royal Society of Canada]] and [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] [[Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey|the Earl Grey]] initiated his plan to preserve the battlefields, having visited the site and stating that he "would never rest until such sacred ground became the heirloom of all Canada and [[British Empire|the Empire]]."<ref>{{Harvnb| Wood| 1911| pp=137–141}}</ref>
[[Image:Prince of Wales presenting Title  Deeds to Earl Grey, Quebec Tercentenary - close up.jpg|thumb|left|[[George V|Prince George, Prince of Wales]], presents the title deeds of the Plains of Abraham to [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] [[Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey|the Earl Grey]] at the tercentenary of Quebec City in 1908]]

The [[List of mayors of Quebec City|Mayor of Quebec City]], [[Jean-Georges Garneau]], in 1908 appointed a landmark commission under the chairmanship of Chief Justice of the [[Quebec Superior Court]] [[François Langelier]]. Amongst its recommendations for permanently recording the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City, the group called for a nationalization of the Quebec battlefields and the construction of a museum of [[History of Canada|Canadian history]]. The [[Prime Minister of Canada|federal prime minister]] at the time, [[Wilfrid Laurier]], suggested, however, that a preservation of the plains themselves would be a more fitting tribute, thus falling in line with the desires of the Earl Grey, who in January had travelled to Quebec to see whether the site could be dedicated as a part of the tercentenary celebrations. By 17 March, the park was created, becoming the first [[List of National Historic Sites of Canada|National Historic Site]] in Canada and was placed under the auspices of the newly and specifically formed [[National Battlefields Commission]],<ref>{{Harvnb| Wood| 1911| pp=141–144}}</ref> a group that, following the lead of [[Edward VII]], began to collect historical data relating to the plains and the battles that took place on them.<ref>{{Harvnb| Wood| 1911| p=152}}</ref> Finally, on 24 July 1908, the King's eldest son, Prince George, Prince of Wales (later [[George V]]), dedicated the [[The Battlefields Park|Quebec Battlefields Park]] at the Plains of Abraham, then presenting the title deeds of the lands to the Governor General.<ref>{{Harvnb| Wood| 1911| p=166}}</ref> The events were popular with Quebec residents, leading Laurier to opine that Quebecers were "monarchical by religion, by habit, and by the remembrance of past history."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Toporoski |first=Richard |title=The Invisible Crown |journal=Monarchy Canada |volume=Summer 1998 |publisher=Monarchist League of Canada |location=Toronto |year=1998 |url=http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/invisibl.htm |access-date=5 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416113518/http://www.monarchist.ca/mc/invisibl.htm |archive-date=April 16, 2009 }}</ref> The official memorial record of the anniversary was titled ''The King's Book of Quebec''; with the assent of the King (by then George V), the volume was published in 1911.<ref>{{Cite book| last=Grey| first=Albert| author-link=Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey| publication-date=1911| contribution=Preface| contribution-url=http://www.ourroots.ca/e/page.aspx?id=424532| editor-last=Doughty| editor-first=A.G.| editor2-last=Wood| editor2-first=William| title=The King's Book of Quebec| year=1911| page=I| publication-place=Ottawa| publisher=The Mortimer Co. Ltd.| access-date=20 July 2009| isbn=978-0-665-71157-2}}</ref>
[[Image:Carnaval de Québec - place de la famille - 2006-02.JPG|thumb|right|A crowd at the ''Place de la Famille'', a [[Quebec Winter Carnival]] site on the Plains of Abraham]]

One final major, but less obvious, alteration to the original park happened between 1931 and 1933 when a drinking water reservoir was constructed under the park. Near every bit of soil was removed and then later replaced: "The reservoir was built between 1931 and 1933. Its base lies about two metres under the surface of the Plains, and it contains about 136 million litres of water. Situated on one of Quebec City’s highest points, it provides drinking water to the districts of Saint-Roch, Saint-Sauveur, Champlain and parts of Saint-Jean-Baptiste and Limoilou. Its vault is supported by some 900 columns and surmounted by about 20 supply grilles camouflaged by bunches of shrubs."<ref>[https://www.ccbn-nbc.gc.ca/en/history-heritage/site-history/park-the-city/#reservoir A park in the city: Municipal reservoir– 1931-1933]</ref>

The site has become an urban park within Quebec City; the National Battlefields Commission has compared its use to that of [[Central Park]] in [[New York City]] and [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]] in [[London]]. It has thus seen various events staged on it, most regularly during the ''[[National Holiday (Quebec)|Fête nationale du Québec]]'', the [[Quebec Winter Carnival]], and the [[Quebec City Summer Festival]].