Last updated: August 15, 2021
Article
The Saint Croix Island Settlement
Putting Together an Expedition
On November 8, 1603, Henry IV of France granted Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons, a monopoly for the conduct of the fur trade and the title of lieutenant-governor of the territory between the 40th and 46th parallels known as La Cadie. In return, De Mons was expected to colonize the country and convert the First Peoples to Christianity. The terms of the grant described the region’s inhabitants as “men barbarous, atheists, without faith or religion”. In reality, the Passamaquoddy and the other First Peoples had a rich and elaborate set of spiritual beliefs that infused every aspect of their lives and their relationships with their environment.
De Mons posted notices in all the ports of France forbidding any trade in the area to which he held his monopoly. He then recruited 120 noblemen, artisans and soldiers, and chartered five ships for the journey. Prominent members of the expedition included the explorer/geographer, Samuel Champlain; the Sieur de Poutrincourt, who had a special interest in farming; and François Pontgravé, who, like Champlain, had been involved with an expedition up the St. Lawrence the year before. De Mons also brought along a surgeon, a miner, a Roman Catholic priest and a Protestant (Huguenot) minister to look after the spiritual needs of the colonists. The group included a sizeable contingent of Huguenots.
Setting Forth
The expedition sailed from Havre de Grâce (now Le Havre), France in March 1604. Arriving at Sable Island on May 1st, they divided-up; three ships headed up the St. Lawrence to trade, Pontgravé sailed for Canso, and De Mons, Champlain, and Poutrincourt explored the coast of Nova Scotia and the Bay of Fundy. Throughout the summer De Mons searched for an appropriate site for a settlement while Champlain carefully mapped the inlets and harbours of the rugged coastline. Many places along the Nova Scotia coast, as well as the coasts of Maine and New Brunswick, still bear the names given to them by Champlain. The protected harbor and fertile lands of the Annapolis Basin caught Champlain’s eye, but the expedition moved on in search of other possibilities. Recognizing the potential of the site, the Sieur de Poutrincourt asked De Mons for the rights to eventually create a colony of his own in the area which Champlain named Port Royal.
At the end of June, after exploring the mouth of the St. John River, the group arrived at Passamaquoddy Bay. Here they found an island situated inland near the confluence of three rivers. Blessed with an abundance of resources, especially herring and bass, and easily defended against possible attack, it seemed a promising site for a settlement. De Mons named the island “Isle Ste. Croix”.
Settling In
The settlers’ first task was to fortify a small islet overlooking the harbor with a barricade and a canon. Champlain writes that “Each worked so efficiently that in a very short time it was put in a state of defence, though the mosquitoes (which are little flies) gave us great annoyance while at work, and several of our men had their faces so swollen by their bites that they could scarcely see.”
Following this, the men set to clearing the island and the adjacent mainland. Before long they had created a small hamlet with a storehouse, gardens, oven, hand mill for grinding wheat, and a cluster of dwellings.
With work progressing well, Sieur De Mons sent Champlain off for three weeks to explore southward towards the mouth of the Norumbega River, now known as the Penobscot River in Maine. After passing and naming Mount Desert Island, Champlain sailed up the Norumbega, establishing friendly relations with the area’s First Peoples.
A Devastating Winter
Champlain returned to St. Croix Island around the end of September. Soon the snow began to fall and the early start of an unusually severe winter cut short the settlers’ preparations. Before long the river filled with treacherous ice cakes, making it impossible to cross. Cut off from the mainland, they began to suffer from a shortage of drinking water, firewood, and other hardships. The cider froze and had to be given out by the pound. The settlers were forced to drink Spanish wine and melted snow. Lacking fresh fruit and vegetables, the men fell prey to scurvy. Champlain’s descriptions of the horrors of this disease are vivid.
“There was engendered in the mouths of those who had it large pieces of superfluous fungus flesh (which caused a great putrification); and this increased to such a degree that they could scarcely take anything except in very liquid form. Their teeth barely held in their places, and could be drawn out with the fingers without causing pain.”
Of the 79 men who had stayed at St. Croix for the winter, 35 died, and 20 more came close to the same fate. The surgeon performed a number of autopsies in order to determine the cause of death. Champlain’s journal describes these in gruesome detail. Clearly the selection of St. Croix Island for a settlement was a mistake. The exposed site had intensified the impact of the winter weather and made survival in a strange land much more difficult. Looking back on the experience, Champlain wrote: “It was difficult to know this country without having wintered there; for on arriving in summer everything is very pleasant on account of the woods, the beautiful landscapes, and the fine fishing for the many kinds of fish we found there.” He then finished with his famous observation: “There are six months of winter in that country.”
Another Summer of Sailing: From St. Croix to Cape Cod
Spring came at last in May, and the health of the settlement was restored. On June 15, 1605, Pontgravé arrived with a ship loaded with supplies. His arrival was greeted with great joy and relief.
De Mons had already decided to move the settlement to a new site, and the summer was spent looking for a suitable location. De Mons and Champlain explored the coastline from St. Croix down to Cape Cod. Travelling with them was an Amerindian named Panounias and his wife. With their goodwill and assistance, the expedition enjoyed good relations with the First Peoples along the way. Only when the party arrived in Cape Cod, and they had exceeded the linguistic range of their Amerindian guides, did the expedition run into trouble. At Nauset Bay, they became embroiled in a confrontation, which left one crew member, a baker, dead. Although the incident was quickly smoothed over, De Mons decided that, with supplies running low and not having found a suitable location, it was time to turn towards home.
Moving On—The Shift To Port Royal
Upon their return to St. Croix in early August, De Mons gave the order to move the settlement to Port Royal. Although the task of moving the colony before winter was daunting, the settlers quickly dismantled their buildings, loaded their ships, and set sail for their new home. Once there, they set about clearing the ground and erecting their houses. Again they made a major effort to plant gardens and become agriculturally self-sufficient.
The move to Port Royal went well. The settlers were blessed with a much milder winter than the one before, and although scurvy again proved a problem, this time the colony lost only five of its residents to the disease. Water and game were readily available, and the local Mi’kmaq came to the settlement to trade fresh meat for French bread.
To boost their spirits during the long winter, the gentlemen of the community instituted “The Order of Good Cheer”. This became the first social club in North America. Each day a different person was expected to hunt and find food for the entire company. This ensured a steady supply of fresh meat for the group. The Mi’kmaq sachem, Membertou, was a frequent guest at the table.
De Mons returned to Europe to seek further support for the venture and in his stead left Pontgravé in charge of the colony. Champlain remained in Acadia to continue his explorations, hoping to sail as far as Florida the following year.
Champlain’s Charts and Maps
In 1603, Champlain became the first to map in detail the coasts of Nova Scotia, the Bay of Fundy, and New England. Using a compass and astrolabe, he meticulously mapped out the details of the rivers, harbors, and sweeping bays which make up the area’s coastline. In all, Champlain produced three general maps of Acadia and New England, thirteen special charts of important harbors and three associated picture plans. Champlain’s skill as a cartographer has become increasingly clear with the passage of time. According to W.F. Ganong, Champlain presented accurate descriptions of the coasts “... based upon genuine surveys made by methods correct in principle, even though necessarily crude in application. His maps are thus the prototypes of our own which surpass his in technique, but not in conception”.