The jewel of Montreal’s conurbation parks is, without question, Mount Royal. This 200-hectare park occupies part of the mountain that lies in the middle of Montreal Island, and includes the highest spot in the city. In the 1860s, mass cutting of trees on the mountain for firewood outraged the public and led to the area’s description as a park in 1876. It was initially landscaped by Frederick Law Olmsted, perhaps best known for New York City’s Central Park, even though not all his proposed plans were ultimately carried out. The lookout facing over downtown towards the river was first constructed in 1906 and is now formally known as the Belvédère Kondiaronk, named for the Huron chief who signed a key peace accord with the French government in 1701.