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| The only known depiction of Champlain: a self portrait from one of his books copied from Wikipedia |
This is a very detailed book, and so is somewhat slow going, but the story is very interesting, particularly for me because one of my ancestors, Pierre Rancourt, immigrated to Quebec, the first permanent French colony in Canada, started by Champlain.
The adventures of the French settlers were at times quite harrowing, especially since it took them several tries before they succeeded in starting a permanent settlement. Many people died of diseases associated with starvation (scurvy, most often) and other mistakes such as eating bad meat.
This author seems to really like Champlain, and wants to refute some of the bad press Champlain has gotten over the years that accuses him of imperialistic actions, particularly against the natives of that region. He believes Champlain was different from the other French explorers in that he liked the Indians and wanted to live in peace with them. Certainly his ideas were different from other nations' colonial enterprises, especially the Spanish, who were the most ruthless in dealing with the Indians.
So far in the book, the colonists have survived their first winter at Quebec (later Quebec City), but just barely. This was 1608. My ancestor emigrated from France in 1633, I believe. So by that time the colony was well established, no doubt.
I'll be on this book for quite some time as it is very long and not a quick read. But I'm enjoying it so far.
Stay tuned for more insights into Champlain's quest.
