Samuel de Champlain

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Samuel de Champlain

Post by shipstamps » Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:28 am


Samuel de Champlain (about 1580 - 1635) was a French geographer, draftsman, explorer and founder of Quebec City. He was also integral in opening North America up to French trade, especially the fur trade. His influence is still felt in the presence of French Canadians in Quebec, where he did most of his exploring. Champlain's pattern was to spend several months or years exploring North America and then head back to France to raise more funds for further explorations. His travels have had the most lasting importance to World History.
That he was born in Brouage, France is reported in the title of his 1603 book but much of Champlain's early life is unknown: it is speculated by some that his mother was a Huguenot. He arrived on his first trip to North America on March 15th 1603, a member of a fur-trading expedition. Although he had no official assignment on the voyage, he created a map of the St. Lawrence River and after his return to France on September 20th wrote an account of his voyage.
In the spring of 1604. He helped found the Saint Croix Island settlement, which was abandoned the following spring, when the settlers moved across the Bay of Fundy to found the Habitation at Port-Royal --sited with Champlain's assistance-- where Champlain lived until 1607 while he explored the Atlantic coast.
In 1605 and 1606, Champlain explored the land that is now Chatham, Cape Cod as a prospective settlement but small skirmishes with the resident Monomoyick Indians dissuaded him from the idea. He named the area Port Fortune
On July 3rd 1608 Champlain landed at the "point of Quebec" and set about fortifying the area against attack by building three main buildings (each two stories tall) and also a moat 15 feet
(5m) wide. This was to become the city of Quebec. Fortifying Quebec City (which he referred to as his "Habitation") became one of his passions, which he embarked on periodically for the rest of his life.
The first winter was difficult for the colonists. Of the twenty-eight people who stayed for the winter only nine survived, most having died of scurvy and some of smallpox and some of the extreme cold weather.
During the summer of 1608, Champlain attempted to form better relations with the local First Nations. He made alliances with the Wyandot that the French called Huron and with Algonquins to the north of the St Lawrence River promising to help them in their war against the Iroquois.

Log Book Aug 2008

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