Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry was founded for service in the First World War on August 10, 1914, and paraded for the first time at Lansdowne Park, Ottawa, Ontario, on August 23, 1914. Hamilton Gault, a prominent Montreal businessman, raised the regiment out of his own funds, making the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry the last privately raised regiment in Canada.
In 1913, this land passed into the hands of Brigadier Andrew Hamilton Gault. He built a large stone house named ‘Gault House’ on the shore of the lake in 1957. Once it was finished, he lived there a mere three weeks before he died on 28 November 1958. The house still exists today and is used as a reception hall.
Brigadier Gault donated his land to McGill University and a cairn on the property was dedicated in his honour. In keeping with his wishes, the beauties and amenities of the land are preserved for learning. McGill University has created 1,000 hectares of natural environment in the St. Lawrence Valley. In 2000, the Gault Estate was officially renamed the Gault Nature Reserve.