From Stadacona to the REM · Drawing 04 of 36
The First Houses of Ville-Marie
1642
In 1642, Jeanne Mance and Paul de Maisonneuve helped found Ville-Marie, which became Montréal. The newcomers built beside the river, on land already used by Indigenous peoples.
Look together
Where is the gate in the palisade, the fence of pointed logs?
An idea to try
With blocks, build a palisade around three little houses. Ask your child what a village needs to live: water, food, shelter, neighbours.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
Maisonneuve and Jeanne Mance’s group arrived on May 17, 1642. Ville-Marie became Montréal. This new French settlement was not the beginning of human presence on the island.
The houses and palisade are interpretive. No cross appears on Mount Royal: Maisonneuve’s cross dates from January 1643, not the 1642 arrival.
Sources and illustration notes (3)
Fort as an evocation; the founders are not portrayed.
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.
- Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec — Fondation de Montréal (in French)Ville-Marie founded in 1642 by Maisonneuve and Jeanne Mance.
- Ville de Montréal — Maisonneuve érige une croix sur la montagne (in French)A cross raised on January 6, 1643; the commemorative painting is an interpretation made in 1931.
- Pointe-à-Callière — Jeanne Mance, co-founder of MontréalJeanne Mance, co-founder; the Hôtel-Dieu founded in 1645.
Page prepared on September 19, 2026. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.
This drawing is from the book Québec’s Great Moments to Colour
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