François Dollier de Casson (1636 – 27 September 1701) was born in France into a well-to-do military and bourgeois family. He initially joined the army but left after three years to pursue studies that led him to the priesthood. After joining the Sulpician order, Dollier de Casson was assigned to New France, though he accepted the position reluctantly. He arrived in Quebec in 1666 and was immediately sent to serve as a military chaplain with Prouville de Tracy in a campaign against the Mohawks. He worked as a missionary and explorer until 1671, when he became the superior of the Sulpicians in New France and later supervised the construction of its first canal. In 1674, he returned to France for a period of rest and briefly served as preceptor to his nephew. He returned to Canada in 1678, where he continued his work with the Sulpicians until his death. Dollier de Casson is widely remembered for his *Histoire de Montréal* and his contributions to church architecture. As vicar general of the diocese of Quebec, he commissioned the first street survey of Montreal, completed by notary and surveyor Bénigne Basset Des Lauriers, which established the layout of what is now Old Montreal. He was also a leading figure in the first attempt to excavate the Lachine Canal in 1689.

François Dollier de Casson - Wikipedia