From Stadacona to the REM · Drawing 03 of 36
Building the Habitation
1608
In 1608, Samuel de Champlain has wooden buildings built beside the river: the Habitation. This begins the French settlement at Québec. Indigenous peoples had been visiting this place for a very long time.
Look together
How many large pieces of wood can you see?
An idea to try
Arrange some large blocks on a table to build an imaginary frame. Ask which pieces support the others and what else you would need to know to picture the finished building.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
After arriving at Québec on July 3, 1608, Samuel de Champlain began building the Habitation in what is now the Place Royale area. His account describes three two-storey wooden residential buildings and a storehouse. The name Québec comes from an Algonquian word related to the narrowing of the river. Many died during the first winter, notably from scurvy; published counts of the men and survivors differ.
Indigenous peoples used the site long before 1608. Excavations have yielded objects from different occupations and foundations of the second Habitation, begun in 1624. These should not be confused with a complete recovered plan of the 1608 building. With your child, distinguish what documents tell us, what remains show us and what the drawing imagines.
Sources and context (4)
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.
- Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec — Site de l'Habitation de Champlain
- Commission de toponymie — Québec (ville)
- Musée canadien de l’histoire — L’habitation de Québec
- Dictionnaire biographique du Canada — Samuel de Champlain, extraits
Source review: 2026-09-15. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.