Poutrincourt arrived in the spring of 1606 on the boat “Le Jonas” from La Rochelle, France with a team of men and goods to work on the colony. Among the arrivals was a lawyer named Marc Lescarbot. He is credited with having presented the first play in North America, called “The Neptune Theatre”. Champlain created the social club, the Order of Good Cheer, where one would find the table garnished with drink and food from the hunt. The winters of 1606 and 1607 were good but it had not been possible to secure financing for the colony. The fur trade monopoly was taken from deMonts and everyone returned to France, leaving the habitation in the care of the Mi'kmaq.

When Poutrincourt and his team returned to Port-Royal in 1610, they found the habitation in the same state in which it had been left. The Mi'kmaq had taken good care of the establishment. However, Argall, an Englishman from Virginia, destroyed Port-Royal in 1612. A few French colonists survived and were taken in by the Mi'kmaq who again offered support to the French during this sad event. Little changed at Port-Royal during the 10 years that followed.

In 1632, the treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye gave Nova Scotia to France and an effort was undertaken to establish colonies in Acadia and Québec. A governor of Acadia was named, Isaac de Razilly, who had as associates, Aulnay de Charnisay and Nicolas Denys. It was their duty to bring colonists and many of them established themselves in Port-Royal.

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