Champlain built his famous habitation at Quebec.

The Habitation (est. 1608)
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Champlain developed a trade route with the Huron.
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In 1608, Champlain sailed to find a permanent colony in Nouvelle
France. He decided to pick an area where the St. Lawrence river was narrower. In theory,
it was to prevent enemies from pushing further inland. Quebec was an obvious choice and
Champlain built a habitation between the St. Lawrence and Cap Diamand (at today's
Place Royale). The habitation was simply a wooden building surrounded by
an inner yard and served as a lodging, storehouse, and fortress for the inhabitants.
However, unlike Cartier, protection was not needed as urgently since the Iroquois no
longer inhabited the St. Lawrence valley. This first settlement contained only 28 people
and 20 of them died during the first winter.
The next step for Champlain in 1609 was to create a partnership with
the Hurons to stimulate fur trade. This meant being able to communicate
with the Hurons and adapt to their culture. It did not take a long time until a trade
route was developed. However, the first five years proved difficult because there was not
enough fur being collected. Therefore, Champlain recruited more First Nations villages,
and by 1614, the trade route was profitable enough for the French to build more permanent
settlements and begin to fortify Quebec (1620).
Champlain was undisturbed in Nouvelle France until England (a force
led by David Kirke and his brothers) invaded Quebec and took over for a short period
between 1629-1632. During this period, Champlain was taken back to England as a prisoner.
He was appointed the first governor of Nouvelle France in 1632 and then returned to the
St. Lawrence valley in 1633. He died in 1635.

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