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Audio Transcript of Samuel de Champlain (of Brouage, France; for France) 1608 to 1616

Audio Transcript: In 1608 Champlain returned to the St. Lawrence, this time as lieutenant to the Sieur de Monts with instructions to found a settlement. The site chosen by Champlain was Québec. On 28 June of the following year, he set out to explore the Richelieu River. In 1603 he had been as far as Chambly, but this time he went as far as the southwestern end of Lake Champlain where he helped a Huron-Algonquin-Montagnais war party defeat a group of Mohawk. Frustrated in several attempts to gain native co-operation for further exploration, Champlain decided to try it on his own. After hearing a story from his interpreter, Nicolas de Vignau, that he had been to Hudson Bay by way of the Ottawa River in 1611 to 1612, Champlain embarked on 27 May 1613, to see the route for himself. He got as far as Morrison Island near Pembroke, Ontario, where the Kichesipirini Algonquins apparently discredited de Vignau's story and dissuaded Champlain from going further.

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Portrait of Samuel de Champlain

Champlain's next and last opportunity at exploration came in 1615. By this time he had become convinced that exploration could only be carried out with native help. On 9 July he departed up the Ottawa River in the company of an interpreter (probably Étienne Brûlé), a servant and ten Huron. The Recollet priest, Joseph Le Caron, had preceeded him with 12 Frenchmen by about one week. To the Huron, the aim of the journey was French aid on yet another raid on the Iroquois. Champlain saw it as a means of cementing an alliance, to promote the fur trade and further exploration. His hope was that the "western sea" (Lake Huron) natives had spoken about would be the passage to Asia. On the first of August, Champlain landed in the Huron country. By early September, he was at the present site of Orillia, Ontario, and from there headed by way of the Kawartha Lakes and the east end of Lake Ontario to the Onondaga in upper New York State. On 23 December, he was back in the Huron country. During the winter, he visited the Huron villages and travelled to the Tionontate (Petun) of the Collingwood, Ontario area. Throughout the journey of 1615 to 1616, Champlain tried to collect native geographical accounts. At the end of June 1616, Champlain was back at Québec. His years as explorer were over, other tasks becoming more important.

Source: Voiceovers by Kyle Rawn, Christian Wyss and LeeAnn McLellan, Algonquin College, Ottawa. Assistance provided by Don Crockford, Coordinator, Broadcasting Radio and Media Design Sector, Algonquin College.