Chapter I : Quebec (1604)
Crossing the Atlantic could be a rather tedious and dangerous affair in these days. But the French were lucky. Already by May 10th their ships anchored before Tadoussac. A settlement they called this array of some crude shacks. And in fact it was the entirety with what the French traders clung onto this vast wilderness. Located at the mouth of the Great River it was the door to Canada. The big ships from France could quite easily reach here even without navigating the sometimes treacherous river itself. And so consequently Tadoussac was the place the natives came to trade. And trade, in this part of the world, meant European Traders fleecing natives for the beaver furs that were plenty in Canada.
The French leadership around Pierre Dugua, Jean de Biencourt and Champlain however agreed. Tadoussac wasn’t suited to be their colony’s location. Too infertile was the coast of Saguenay. And too far were the hunting grounds where the best beaver pelts came from. These furs were imperative for the colony. For without a good return the investors behind Dugua would soon turn their back on the enterprise. And without their supplies and new colonists the entire endeavour would be moribund. No, in order to find better soil and better trading opportunities they had to move upstream.
In an expedition the previous year Champlain had found several good locations. One was a cliff above a narrowing of the river, a place the natives called Quebec. The place also seemed quite frequented by natives, making it suitable for trading. Further upstream Champlain had found another prime location just before impassable rapids blocked any advance further up the river. There was a most strategically placed island at the confluence of the Great River and another major stream. Jacques Cartier already had reached the place 70 years earlier, calling it Mont Real.
After careful consideration, the expedition decided on Quebec. Not only was it the more defensible spot, it was also closer to Tadoussac and the big, oceangoing vessels could sail there.
Without wasting a lot of time in Tadoussac their ships carefully sailed upstream, weary of the unknown waters. At the building site the men quickly went to work. Time was key given how early winter came in this land. Clearing the land, felling trees and digging ditches and cellars was hard work – but by Mid-August Quebec their home was ready for winter. Near the shore the French had erected a big storehouse and something they called Habitation. This complex vaguely resembled the miniature of a European Fortress. A ditch that could only be crossed on a drawbridge was surrounding a palisade, which was defended by cannons mounted on wooden bastions. The complex inside then was a triangular array of living quarters, workshops, the forge, and the headquarters of the officers.
The colony with its total of around 80 settlers was quite big for the time – and rather well funded. Nearly all the colonists were trained specialists – quite the far cry from the underfunded convict coffin ships of lost souls that were usually sent over the pond in these days. Primarily artisans and farmers the expedition was supplemented by some trained hunters, two surgeons and an apothecary. Even a detachment of 10 professional Swiss soldiers had been hired to protect the new colony. Noteworthy as well was a man called Mathieu da Costa. Originally from somewhere in Africa, he had ended up with natives south-east of the Great River for some years prior. There picked up some local languages and customs.
The colony did not go unnoticed for long. Quebec had long been an ancestral fishing site for local natives and news spread fast in this land. Even before the colonists properly moved into their new homes, they happened to greet the first curious visitors and delegations.Thanks to the expertise of da Costa, and maybe more importantly, their generous attitude the French soon laid the foundation for quite a friendly relationship with the locals.
So housed, with abundant supplies and no hostile environment around them the colonists quite optimistically were about to face their first winter across the ocean.
Crossing the Atlantic could be a rather tedious and dangerous affair in these days. But the French were lucky. Already by May 10th their ships anchored before Tadoussac. A settlement they called this array of some crude shacks. And in fact it was the entirety with what the French traders clung onto this vast wilderness. Located at the mouth of the Great River it was the door to Canada. The big ships from France could quite easily reach here even without navigating the sometimes treacherous river itself. And so consequently Tadoussac was the place the natives came to trade. And trade, in this part of the world, meant European Traders fleecing natives for the beaver furs that were plenty in Canada.
The French leadership around Pierre Dugua, Jean de Biencourt and Champlain however agreed. Tadoussac wasn’t suited to be their colony’s location. Too infertile was the coast of Saguenay. And too far were the hunting grounds where the best beaver pelts came from. These furs were imperative for the colony. For without a good return the investors behind Dugua would soon turn their back on the enterprise. And without their supplies and new colonists the entire endeavour would be moribund. No, in order to find better soil and better trading opportunities they had to move upstream.
In an expedition the previous year Champlain had found several good locations. One was a cliff above a narrowing of the river, a place the natives called Quebec. The place also seemed quite frequented by natives, making it suitable for trading. Further upstream Champlain had found another prime location just before impassable rapids blocked any advance further up the river. There was a most strategically placed island at the confluence of the Great River and another major stream. Jacques Cartier already had reached the place 70 years earlier, calling it Mont Real.
After careful consideration, the expedition decided on Quebec. Not only was it the more defensible spot, it was also closer to Tadoussac and the big, oceangoing vessels could sail there.
Without wasting a lot of time in Tadoussac their ships carefully sailed upstream, weary of the unknown waters. At the building site the men quickly went to work. Time was key given how early winter came in this land. Clearing the land, felling trees and digging ditches and cellars was hard work – but by Mid-August Quebec their home was ready for winter. Near the shore the French had erected a big storehouse and something they called Habitation. This complex vaguely resembled the miniature of a European Fortress. A ditch that could only be crossed on a drawbridge was surrounding a palisade, which was defended by cannons mounted on wooden bastions. The complex inside then was a triangular array of living quarters, workshops, the forge, and the headquarters of the officers.
The colony with its total of around 80 settlers was quite big for the time – and rather well funded. Nearly all the colonists were trained specialists – quite the far cry from the underfunded convict coffin ships of lost souls that were usually sent over the pond in these days. Primarily artisans and farmers the expedition was supplemented by some trained hunters, two surgeons and an apothecary. Even a detachment of 10 professional Swiss soldiers had been hired to protect the new colony. Noteworthy as well was a man called Mathieu da Costa. Originally from somewhere in Africa, he had ended up with natives south-east of the Great River for some years prior. There picked up some local languages and customs.
The colony did not go unnoticed for long. Quebec had long been an ancestral fishing site for local natives and news spread fast in this land. Even before the colonists properly moved into their new homes, they happened to greet the first curious visitors and delegations.Thanks to the expertise of da Costa, and maybe more importantly, their generous attitude the French soon laid the foundation for quite a friendly relationship with the locals.
So housed, with abundant supplies and no hostile environment around them the colonists quite optimistically were about to face their first winter across the ocean.