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Jacques Cartier: New Land for the French King

Second Voyage
May 19, 1535 - July 16, 1536

Graphical element: Map of Iroquois village of Hochelaga, 1556

The king of France, François I, sent Cartier back to Canada with three ships and 110 men. Cartier built a house and fort at Stadacona (where Quebec City is today). He then went down the St. Lawrence River to the Iroquois village of Hochelaga on what is now called Montreal Island.

Because of the ice, he had to stay in Canada for the winter. Many of his crew died of scurvy, a disease that is caused by a diet without vegetables and fruit. Finally, the Iroquois showed them how to make white cedar tea to cure it.

Graphical element: Jacques Cartier at Hochelaga

Going Mountain-climbing? Don't Forget to Pack Your Amour!
Visiting the town of Hochelaga, Cartier and his men were taken up the steep hill he later named Mount Royal. Some of his men were dressed in full fighting armour and tired themselves out on the climb up the mountain. When it came time for the trip down, the Hochelagans generously picked them up and carried the heavy men on their shoulders to Cartier's boats.

McFarlane, Peter and Wayne Haimila. Ancient Land, & Ancient Sky: Following Canada's Native Canoe Routes. Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf Canada, ©1999, p. 54.


Strange Animals
In 1535, Cartier travelled up the Moisie River and noted strange white fish with heads like greyhounds. He had probably seen St. Lawrence belugas.

Wanted for Kidnapping - Again!
It had been a harsh winter. Cartier's men would have all died of scurvy had it not been for Chief Donnacona's cure of tea made from the cedar tree. Now it was time to return to France, but Cartier had nothing important to bring home. He decided to kidnap the chief, who would be able to tell him more about the land of gold.

Cartier invited Chief Donnacona to a goodbye party. The party was really a trap. The Iroquois were suspicious and refused to enter the fort. Cartier's men seized the chief, his two sons, 3 leaders and a young girl.

What's in a Name
Graphical element: spacer The name Montreal comes from Mount Royal, the mountain Cartier named for the King of France.

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In France, Chief Donnacona met King François I. As his two sons had done on their previous visit, he also told stories of gold and riches. But, by the time Cartier was ready to return in 1541, all the Native people he had captured, except the girl, had died.


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