History

 

In 1884 Frank Stephen and a group of gentlemen decided to form a private club. Mr. Stephen’s summer home in Bois Franc became the first clubhouse.

The name “Forest and Stream” was adopted in order to accommodate the initials F.S. on the china and silverware that Frank Stephen had donated to the Club.

Since 1888, the Club has inhabited Bel Air, the stately country home of Mr. Alfred Brown who was a Montreal architect, the Chairman of the Grand Trunk Railways and a director of the Bank of Montreal.

The founders and early members of the Club were the primary builders of Montreal and of Canada. Their names remain familiar even today:

Abbot, Allan, Angus, Dawes, Dow, Forget, Holt, Girouard, Molson, Stephen, Van Horne…

ANGUS, Richard, B.

(1831-1922) Founding Member

He was named “Canada First Citizen” by Sir John Abbott, Prime Minister of Canada. He was a financier and a director of the C.P.R. As President of the Bank of Montreal, he helped build the Royal Victoria Hospital and was a founder of the Mount Royal Club.

MOLSON, Harry, Markland

(1857-1912)

Great grandson of the patriarch John Molson, he perished in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. The Molsons have been present in our Club since the early days and continue to contribute to the welfare of the Club, the City the Province and Canada.

STEPHEN, George

(Lord Mount Stephen) (1857-1912)

He was the principal builder of the CPR and a long time president of the Bank of Montreal. He was made a baronet by Queen Victoria in recognition of his generosity to Montreal (Royal Victoria Hospital) and Canada.

 

VAN HORNE, W. Cornelius

He extended the Canadian Pacific Line to Vancouver which allowed British Colombia to join Confederation. He was the force behind the building of Banff Springs Hotel, Chateau Lac Louside, Chateau Frontenac and Chateau Laurier.

LORD STRATHCONA, Sir Donald Smith

He spent 30 years in the wilderness to become Head of the Hudson’s Bay Co. He was a cousin of George Stephen and became a C.P.R. financier, later President and hammered the famous last spike. He was knighted and later named Lord Strathcona.