Grosse Île and Immigration to Canada

Grosse Île was central to the major waves of immigration welcomed to Canada from the opening of the 19th century to the First World War. During this period, Québec was Canada’s chief port of entry, receiving more than four million immigrants. Because deadly infectious diseases and only rudimentary scientific understanding of their control threatened public health, Grosse Île operated as a quarantine station from 1832 to 1937. Priests, doctors, nurses, and other staff often risked their own lives to welcome and care for new arrivals. The island also stands as a memorial to the tragic ordeal of Irish immigrants, especially during the typhus epidemic of 1847, when nearly 100,000 people, most fleeing the Great Famine in Ireland, set sail for Canada, and more than five thousand were buried on the island.

Quebec · Canada