The wharfs, basins, and immense grain silos were built in the middle of what in 1875 was the mouth of Rivière Saint-Charles, in an ambitious bid to modernize the then-declining Port of Québec. The endeavour was so pivotal for the economic revival of Québec that Queen Victoria gave it her official endorsement. On a beautiful day in July 1880, a large crowd attended an official ceremony that symbolized hope. Wielding a finely wrought silver trowel, Princess Louise, Queen Victoria’s daughter, married to the Governor General of Canada, spread the cement where the cornerstone of Bassin Louise would be laid. source: https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/