Samuel de Champain

Samuel de Champlain was a geographer for King Henry IV. In the year 1603, he joined an expedition to Canada, and this expedition was led by Francois Grave Du Pont. On the voyage, Samuel made himself very useful by giving them helpful geographical predictions, even though at first he was not a large part of the expedition. For his usefulness on the first voyage, he was sent on another voyage to Acadia, led by Lieutenant-General de Monts. An important discovery was made on the journey, they discovered Nova Scotia. General de Monts asked Samuel if he would find a place that was suitable to build a settlement, and he did as they spent the winter on the island. The next summer came and de Champlain was doing some exploring of the coast and was the first to chart the areas that would later become Plymouth Rock. He also built a trading fort in Quebec, with the help of General Monts and they fought the first battle with the Iraqas. Samuel went on an expedition with a group of friendly natives, deep into Canada, in 1615. However, another battle with the Iraqas resulted in de Champlain being crippled by an arrow to the knee. After that Champlain returned to France and wrote a detailed book about Native Americans and their lifestyle, also he recapped his adventures and gave special descriptions and maps. Remembered as the Father of New France, Samuel de Champlain also established what is now Quebec City, and is thought of as a brilliant geographer and explorer.

Information gathered from: Ron Paul Curriculum 7^th grade history class.