When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few.

Jacques Cartier Establishes Canada as a French Colony
July 24, 1534

Okay, if you have attended one of my spruce beer brewing demos, you undoubtedly have heard the name Jacques Cartier.  It was Cartier who was taught by the Hurons to brew spruce tea which would evolve into spruce ale which we all love.  But who was Cartier?

In 1534, the like the Spanish and English, King Francis I send explorers west with goal of finding a new route to the East Indies. Jacques Cartier and his crew of around 110 men set off from Saint-Malo (France) Le Grande Hermine and Le Petite Hermine, and sailed west and eventually up the St. Lawrence River. Along their journey, Cartier encountered numerous Indigenous communities who taught him about the land, and about their unique cultures and practices. When Cartier reached the Gulf of St. Lawrence, he claimed the land for France creating what we now know as Quebec.

Cartier was made multiple voyages to Canada in the 16th century. During his voyages, he explored areas of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Atlantic coast and the interior of Canada. Cartier was the first European to map the Gulf of St. Lawrence and to explore the St. Lawrence River. He also made contact with the St. Lawrence Iroquoians, and found evidence of the Iroquoian Confederacy. Cartier was fascinated by the land he encountered and made detailed reports of its natural resources, including the fish and wildlife that existed in the area. He returned to France with gold, furs, and valuable information about the region which eventually resulted in the establishment of a French a colony in Canada. 

Cartier’s third voyage, which was intended to explore and colonize the region.  He was commissioned by the by Francis I to establish a permanent settlement along the St. Lawrence River.  The expedition included approximately 800 people. This expedition reached the present-day site of Quebec City, where they established a settlement and claimed all the lands along the St Lawrence for France.  The name “Canada” was given to the land on September 7, 1535, when Cartier and his men reached Quebec City.  The name Canada may have originated with the Huron-Iroquois word kanata, which means “village” or “settlement.”

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