This study in historical geography, based on archival documents as well as maps and field surveys, deals with a major geographical phenomenon in Québec: the line settlement (rang). Three aspects are considered : 1) the opening up of line settlements: 1 900 by 1835, 12000 by 1950 ; 2) the actual settlement which follows a concave-convex curve during the early 20th century when a maximum of 6700 inhabited line settlements is reached; 3) the closing down of line settlements. As a result of these three phases, more than two out of three line settlements are now unoccupied; by 1980, the Montréal plain represents the major line settlement region in the province of Québec.