Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Three Rivers

THREE RIVERS, the third city of Quebec province, Canada, and capital of St Maurice county, is situated at the confluence of the rivers St Maurice and St Lawrence. The St Maurice flows in from the north, and, being divided at its mouth by two islands, the channels give the town its name. It is on the line of the Canadian Pacific Rail way, 78 miles south-west of Quebec, and 92 north-east of Montreal. Founded in 1634, Three Rivers is one of the oldest towns in Quebec. It is the centre of a large lumber trade, which is carried on by the St Maurice and its tributaries. Three leagues from the city are the St Maurice forges, where iron wares were formerly manu factured extensively. Other industries are furniture and cabinet making, boot and shoe making, and those carried on in the spool factories, brass and lead foundries, sawmills, and carriage factories. The city is the residence of the Roman Catholic bishop whose diocese bears the same name. The chief trade is in lumber, grain, cattle, &c., which find sale in South America, the West Indies, Great Britain, and the United States. The city sends one member to the Canadian House of Commons and one to the Legislative Assembly. The population of the city in 1881 was 8670 (males 4173, females 4497). The district of Three Rivers comprises the counties of St Maurice, Nicolet, Champlain, and Maskinonge".