Canadian history · Drawing 06 of 43
Where the river narrows
1608
In 1608, Samuel de Champlain’s Habitation began the French settlement at Québec. Innu families already gathered here in summer, where the river narrows.
Look together
What is drying on the wooden rack?
An idea to try
Pinch a piece of string or a scarf in the middle to show how a river narrows. Ask why a narrow place might be handy for crossing, fishing or meeting.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
Champlain reached the point of Québec on July 3, 1608, sent by Pierre Dugua de Mons to found a settlement where the fur trade could be controlled. His men built a storehouse and three two-storey wooden buildings with a gallery. Stadacona, the Iroquoian village Cartier had visited, was gone; Algonquian peoples, likely the Innu, then called Montagnais, came to the site. For the Innu of Essipit, it is Uepishtikueiau, “where the river narrows,” one of their main summer gathering places.
That first winter, scurvy and dysentery killed most of the men: of the 28 who wintered there, only 8 remained at the end of May 1609. Champlain’s alliances with the Innu, Algonquin and Wendat also drew him, from 1609, into their wars against the Haudenosaunee. Essipit notes that colonial policies erased many Innu place names and that Innu families still live on this land. Ask your child why the same place can have two names.
Sources and illustration notes (5)
An imagined scene: the Habitation, drying rack and clothing are simplified, and the people portray no one.
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. References identify the institution and the related lesson; some linked pages are in French.
- The Canadian Encyclopedia — Samuel de ChamplainArrived off Cap Diamant on July 3, 1608, sent by Dugua to settle where the fur trade could be controlled; storehouse and three two-storey buildings with a gallery; severe scurvy the first winter; alliances with the Montagnais, Algonquin and Wendat; 1609 clash with the Haudenosaunee.
- The Canadian Encyclopedia — Quebec CityBy 1608 the people of Stadacona had disappeared and been replaced by occasional nomadic Algonquians, likely Montagnais-Naskapi; the name Quebec probably comes from an Algonquian word meaning “narrowing of the river.”
- Innu First Nation of Essipit — Tshitassinu tshiuetunussit (French-language page)Innu voice: ancestors called “Montagnais” by the first explorers; Uepishtikueiau, “where the river narrows,” one of the main Innu summer gathering sites, where Québec City was established; Innu place names erased by colonial policies; Innu families still active on the land.
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography — CHAMPLAIN, SAMUEL DEOf the 28 people who wintered at Québec in 1608–1609, only 8 remained when Gravé returned at the end of May 1609.
- Voyages of Samuel de Champlain, vol. 2, ch. VI (Project Gutenberg)Scurvy struck 18 men and killed 10; five others died of dysentery; only 8 of the 28 remained.
Page prepared on September 24, 2026. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
This drawing is from the book Canada’s Great Moments to Colour
Tax calculated at checkout. Terms of sale