Before becoming a part of France for good in 1861, Menton was a small town primarily focused on fishing and the cultivation of citrus fruits. In fact, in 1860, 80% of Menton‘s population was either directly or indirectly dependent on the cultivation of citrus agriculture. The fruits produced by this agriculture were shipped as far as New York, but despite this great reliance on exports by ship, Menton did not have a port until 1883.
Instead, loading and unloading ships meant pulling the ships onto the dry land. To get the ships back into the water, sailors would place wooden rolls underneath the boats‘ hull and use levers to direct them towards the water. Though a cumbersome practice, Menton‘s protectors shied away from building a port due to the immense expenses that would go along with such an endeavor.
With Menton formally being integrated into France, the French government began the works on the port. Though the work was begun in 1861, it took 17 years for the port to be operational.
More than just facilitating exports by sea, the building of this port was part of a number of construction projects which contributed to Menton’s opening up to the world in the wake of its attachment to France. On the gratitude of the Mentonnais citizens to France’s role in consturcting the port, the following was said:
Un siècle, à peine, a suffit pour que la petite ville de 1860 devienne l‘une des premières de la Côte d‘Azur.
Et c‘est à la France que nous le devons.
Aussi, ne saurions-nous l‘oublier.
As was stated in the special edition of the ”Annales de Menton“ on the occasion of the centenary of the city‘s rattachement:
[Il s‘y trouve] exposé les bienfaits que, depuis [le rattachement] ils ont reçus d‘elle [de la France]. (…)
Vive la France!
Frenchification of Menton 