Montreal Then and Now® (Then and Now)Montreal Then and Now takes 70 archive photos from across the city that sits on the banks of the St. Lawrence river and compares them with the same view today in this fascinating bilingual edition. Established in 1642 as a Roman Catholic mission, Montreal was named for the mountain where its French founders erected a cross. They also laid out the streets that today meander through three core districts: the Plateau, Downtown, and historic Old Montreal.