Samuel de Champlain: Explorer and Colonizer

Second Voyage

On his second voyage, Champlain mapped the eastern coastline from Cape Breton to Cape Cod Copyright/Source

In early May of 1604, Champlain returned to Acadia. He explored the east coast until winter started. The winter was very cold and many fell ill with scurvy, a disease that comes from a diet without vegetables and fruit.

When he returned to France in 1607, he had mapped the Atlantic coastline from Cape Breton south to Cap Blanc (known today as Cape Cod, Massachusetts).

Quebec

After 1620, Champlain worked to improve the settlement at Quebec and in the colony. He brought his wife, but she only stayed four years. By 1625, the colony was producing food but not enough to feed everyone, so he sent some of the settlers to Gaspé.

Then, in July of 1629, English ships arrived and took control of the colony. Champlain was forced to leave Quebec for four years.

In 1633, Champlain went back to command New France. The habitation was deserted and damaged. He repaired it and began construction of new settlements at Richelieu and Trois-Rivières. By 1635, his health was quickly getting worse. He died on December 25, 1635 in Quebec.

No Heir
Champlain had married 12-year-old Hélène Boullé in Paris in 1610. He was in his late 30s or early 40s. According to the marriage agreement, Hélène would not live with Samuel until she was 14. Such marriages were not too unusual, being more like an alliance between families than a love-match. Hélène spent four years at the Quebec settlement then returned to Paris. After returning to Quebec for the last time in 1632, he never saw her again. Hélène eventually became a nun.

The Illustrated History of Canada. Edited by Craig Brown. Toronto: Lester Pub., ©1991, 1987, p. 115.

The English capture Québec (and take Champlain prisoner for a short time) Copyright/Source

	By 1627, the settlement at Quebec still had less than 100 people, not even a dozen were women and they were still dependent on supply ships from France. In 1628, war broke out with England. The English blocked the St. Lawrence, sending ships back to France. By 1629, the people in the settlement were starving when the English arrived to expel Champlain.