Grosse Isle is a small island in the St. Lawrence River just below Quebec City. From 1832 to 1937, it was a Canadian Government Quarantine station, and all immigrants to Canada passed through there. It is now a National Historic Site and also the home of the Irish Famine Memorial. During the years of the Irish Famine (1845-50), tens of thousands of Irish immigrants, fleeing from the terrible conditions in Ireland, crossed the Atlantic in coffin ships, and upon arrival, many of these poor people had contracted typhus and cholera. The western end of the Island contains a cemetery containing the remains of over 5,000 Irish emigrants, most of whom died without identity. It is truly a hallowed place, and well worth a visit by anyone with an interest in their Irish origin.