A town on the north side of Lake St-Francis, located at the west end of the Soulanges Canal and at the junction of Rte 338 and Chemin du Ruisseau. It was the north end of a ferry service across the lake before the road bridge at Valleyfield was opened. A early local name was "Le Village de Whipple" named after a man who operated a steamship service from there. On an 1896 map, it was called just Coteau. It has now merged with Coteau Station to form Les Coteaux.<br> The Coteau-du-Lac National Historic Site is located 40 km southwest of Montréal on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, and offers a window on a particularly rich history going back several millennia in time. Owing to its strategic position on the River, the main route into inland North America, this site has played a major role in the development of river transportation in Canada. At first a portage for nomadic Aboriginal peoples, Coteau-du-Lac later became a genuine bypass for travellers from Great Britain and France. By the late 18th century, a lock canal is constructed on this location. It was the first work of its kind in North America and was to serve as a forerunner of the modern-day St. Lawrence Seaway.