Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Raymond Joseph Eugene Gagnon

He was 59, lived in Port Bickerton, Guysborough County, died Febuary 26 1993. Born in Port Alfred, Que., he was the son of the late Joseph Edmour and Anna Marie (Sergerie) Gagnon. He served in the Royal Canadian Navy; member of Royal Canadian Legion, Arras Branch 59, Antigonish.He worked for 35 years for the Department of Fisheries Canada and Canadian Coast Guard. After retiring, he was active in organizing the local Terry Fox Runs. He is survived by his wife, the former Joy Harpell; two sons Stephen Joseph, Port Bickerton; Ross Eugene, Halifax; seven brothers, Joseph Leopold, Joseph Albert, Joseph Fernand, Joseph Gerard, Joseph Laurent, Joseph Jean Claude, Joesph Magella,all of Quebec; three sisters, Marie Antoinette (Mrs. Guy Gagnon), Marie Ghislaine (Mrs. Jacque Legendre), Marie Carmen (Mrs. Harvey Simard), all of Quebec. He was predeceased by a brother, Joseph Thommy.

He is resting at the Harpell Cemetery. Here is the link http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/Patsy/harpell.html




Does he not look like his father Edmour on the right?






Above is Dad's class picture. He in the 3rd row, 4th from the left



I think Dad is the first one from the left in the second row in the above picture.

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Map of the region around La Gagnonniere

Click on map for better view

Above is a map of the region of Tourouvre in Perche. To the right of Tourouvre is "Ste-Anne", and just to the left of Ste Anne is the notation "Gag" which is circled in blue. That is the location of La Gagnonnière. Just to the north of Ste Anne is La Ventrouze, the location of the church at which some of the Gagnon brothers were baptized

La Gaignonniere




La Gaignonnière, Perche, France
The three Gagnon (Gaignon) brothers Mathurin, Pierre and Jean, who came to New France in the 1630s came from the region of Perche, in northern France, specifically from the area around La Ventrouze and Tourouvre. Their grandfather (and the earliest discovered Gagnon ancestor), Barnabé, is recorded as having bought a farm on 28 Dec 1565 in the forest of Perche, between Tourouvre and Ventrouze, from Gervais Roger and Marion Aubert. Barnabé reportedly also ran an inn at the same spot.

Story time

Pictures from our first Quebec trip.(I could use help with some of these pictures. I don't remember much from that time.)













It was not long after my father passed that I had thoughts that I may never be able to get in contact with my fathers side of the family again. After he came to Nova Scotia, he met my mother. It was not long after or during that period that he started to learn and speak English. Because of this, I grew up speaking English. I do remember going to Quebec a couple times when we were younger. At that time I did not remember anyone who spoke english. Above is a picture of my brother Stephen,Cousin Carl I think? (Hope someone can help me here) and myself Ross.
Sometime after my father's passing, my mother would receive letters from Quebec. Stephen would take the letters and have someone translate them. The letters would come from Lilly who is pictured above. Thank you Lilly. If it was not for her I don't think we would of made contact with all the others. The letters seem to take forever in the snail mail. I told Stephen to send an email address to try and speed thing up. It was not long after we meet Marie-France. Stephen and I talked through emails and soon later on MSN with her. She was very good in E
nglish and played a big role too in helping us get closer to knowing our family better. Thank you Marie-France.


We began our search in 1993 and thirteen years later, Stephen and I decided to make the trip to Quebec with the help of Marie-France. Above is a picture of part of our journey through New Brunswick.













This was one of the first trips that my brother and I ever made together on our own. I guess that made the trip extra special. Stephen is pictured here with me, our Uncle Fernand and our Uncle Albert.

Monday, April 2, 2007

Spring 2006 with Aunt and Uncles in Quebec








The night after we arrived in Quebec there was a family get to gether at our Uncle Frenand and Aunt Ruth's home. This is where we also stayed. Thanks Uncle Fernand and Aunt Ruth for everything.



Not everyone made it in this picture.
Back row: Ross, Uncle Jean-Claude, Stephen.
Front row: Uncle Albert, Aunt Antoinette, Uncle Gerard.(Please correct me if I have made any mistakes)

That night we learned a lot about our family. I thought it was intersting that most of my father's brother's worked in a mill making news print. Today I work in a plant printing on news print for the Halifax Herald. It must be in the blood.

Above is a picture of us with Uncle Fernand, Aunt Ruth and Claude their daugter.

We had learned that some of our uncles and aunts lost their homes in the Saguenay floods in 1996. Here is a link of the news stories. http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-70-95/disasters_tragedies/saguenay_flood/ http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/Quebec/saguenay_flood.htm

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/sos/002028-1300-e.htmlhttp://www.redcross.ca/cmslib/general/qc_newsletter_saguenay_an2.pdf

http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/floods/saguenay1996/index_e.php

Above is a picture of where Uncle Albert's house use to be before the floods. That is where we were pictured on our first trip at the start of this story.




Here is a picture of the lake that emptied out after the below picture of the dam broke. I think the lake was called Lake Ha Ha.











During our trip Marie-France toured us around to different areas. The above picture is where Sidney Crosby played hockey before he started playing in the NHL. Every one was a big fan and I am sure they are still today.

Stay tuned for more of this story to be added at a later date.

Family Tree

1- Barnabe Gagnon-Gaignon was born in 1523 in Tourouvre, Perche, France. He died on 28 Oct 1581 in Tourouvre, Perche, France. Barnabe Gagnon-Gaignon married Francoise Creste in 1555 in Tourouvre, Perche, France.
Francoise Creste was born in 1530 in Tourouvre, Perche, France. She died in 1588 in Tourouvre, France. Francoise Creste married Barnabe Gagnon-Gaignon in 1555 in Tourouvre, Perche, France.
They had the following children:


M
i
Olivier Gagnon-Gaignon


M
ii
Pierre Gagnon-Gaignon




2- Pierre Gagnon-Gaignon was born in 1560 in Tourouvre, Perche, France. He died on 6 Dec 1633 in La Ventrouze, France. Pierre Gagnon-Gaignon married Renee Roger in 1600 in Tourouvre, Perche, France.
Other marriages:
Roger, Francoise
Renee Roger was born in 1570 in Tourouvre, France. She died on 2 Sep 1647 in Chateau-Richer, Qc.. Renee Roger married Pierre Gagnon-Gaignon in 1600 in Tourouvre, Perche, France.
They had the following children:


M
i
Noel Gagnon was born on 31 Aug 1601 in Tourouvre, France. He died in 1681.


M
ii
Louys Gagnon-Gaignon


M
iii
Mathurin Gagnon


F
iv
Mathurine Gagnon-Gaignon was born in 1608 in Tourouvre, Perche, France. She died on 26 Jan 1626 in La Ventrouze, France.


M
v
Jean Gagnon


M
vi
Pierre Gagnon



3- Jean Gagnon was born on 13 Aug 1610 in St-Aubin, Tourouvre, France. He died on 2 Apr 1670 in Chateau-Richer, Qc.. Jean Gagnon married Marguerite Cochon on 29 Jul 1640 in Quebec, Qc..
Marguerite Cochon was born in 1620 in Dieppe, Seine, France. She died on 26 Jun 1699 in Chateau-Richer, Qc.. Marguerite Cochon married Jean Gagnon on 29 Jul 1640 in Quebec, Qc..
They had the following children:


M
i
Jean Gagnon


F
ii
Jeanne Gagnon


F
iii
Renee Gagnon


F
iv
Marguerite Gagnon


M
v
Etienne Gagnon was born on 19 Sep 1650 in Chateau-Richer, Qc.. He died in 1666.


M
vi
Germain Gagnon


M
vii
Raphael Gagnon was born on 18 Jul 1656 in Québec, Qc.. He died on 24 Jul 1687 in Chateau-Richer, Qc..


F
viii
Marie Gagnon


M
ix
Paulin Gagnon was born in 1652. He died in 1732.

4- Jean Gagnon [Parents] was born on 5 Feb 1648 in Québec, Qc.. He died on 7 Dec 1687 in Chateau-Richer, Qc.. Jean Gagnon married Marguerite Drouin on 26 Oct 1670 in Chateau-Richer, Qc..
Marguerite Drouin was born on 23 Dec 1655 in Québec, Qc.. She died on 1 Jun 1692 in Chateau-Richer, Qc.. Marguerite Drouin married Jean Gagnon on 26 Oct 1670 in Chateau-Richer, Qc..
They had the following children:


M
i
Jean Gagnon


F
ii
Marguerite Gagnon


M
iii
Pierre Gagnon


F
iv
Marie Gagnon


M
v
Antoine Gagnon was born on 8 Jul 1683 in Chateau-Richer, Qc.. He died on 4 Dec 1708 in Chateau-Richer, Qc..


M
vi
Denis Gagnon


M
vii
Joseph Gagnon


F
viii
Agnes Gagnon







5- Joseph Gagnon [Parents] was born on 28 Nov 1685 in Chateau-Richer, Qc.. He died on 10 Nov 1761 in Les Éboulements, Qc.. Joseph Gagnon married Madeleine Tremblay on 10 Apr 1709 in Baie-St-Paul, Qc..
Madeleine Tremblay was born on 19 Jul 1688 in Baie-St-Paul, Qc.. She died on 28 Oct 1755 in Les Éboulements, Qc.. Madeleine Tremblay married Joseph Gagnon on 10 Apr 1709 in Baie-St-Paul, Qc..
They had the following children:


M
i
Pierre Gagnon


F
ii
Jeanne Gagnon


F
iii
Madeleine Gagnon


F
iv
Genevieve Gagnon


F
v
Josephte Gagnon


F
vi
Clothilde Gagnon was born on 2 Oct 1718 in Baie-Saint-Paul, Qc.. She died on 10 Sep 1719 in Baie-Saint-Paul, Qc..


F
vii
Angelique Gagnon


F
viii
Rosalie Gagnon


M
ix
Etienne Gagnon


F
x
Catherine Gagnon


F
xi
Charlotte Gagnon


M
xii
Joseph Gagnon


M
xiii
Dominique Gagnon

6- Dominique Gagnon [Parents] was born on 19 May 1730 in Baie-St-Paul, Qc.. He died in 1810 in Les Éboulements, Qc.. Dominique Gagnon married Marguerite Girard on 17 Jan 1750 in Éboulement, Qc..
Other marriages:
Pilote, Ursule
Marguerite Girard [Parents] was born on 7 Aug 1726 in Baie-St-Paul, Qc.. She died on 19 Jan 1760 in Les Eboulements, Qc.. Marguerite Girard married Dominique Gagnon on 17 Jan 1750 in Éboulement, Qc..
They had the following children:


F
i
Rachel Gagnon was born in 1751 in Éboulement, Qc.. She died in 1752 in Éboulement, Qc..


F
ii
Angeline Gagnon


M
iii
Dominique Gagnon


M
iv
Alexis Gagnon


M
v
Agapit Gagnon

6-Dominique Gagnon [Parents] was born on 19 May 1730 in Baie-St-Paul, Qc.. He died in 1810 in Les Éboulements, Qc.. Dominique Gagnon married Ursule Pilote on 6 Sep 1761 in Éboulement, Qc..
Other marriages:
Girard, Marguerite
Ursule Pilote [Parents] was born in 1736. She married Dominique Gagnon on 6 Sep 1761 in Éboulement, Qc..
They had the following children:


F
i
Ursule Gagnon


M
ii
Jean-Francois Gagnon


F
iii
M.-Anne Gagnon


F
iv
Cecile Gagnon was born on 12 Jan 1770 in Les Eboulements, Qc..


F
v
Judith Gagnon


F
vi
Genevieve Gagnon


M
vii
Pierre Gagnon was born on 4 Jan 1775 in Les Éboulements, Qc. He died on 28 Feb 1796 in Les Éboulements, Qc.


F
viii
Madeleine Gagnon was born on 20 Apr 1777 in Les Éboulements, Qc. She died on 24 Feb 1796 in Les Éboulements, Qc.

7- Dominique Gagnon [Parents] was born on 3 Mar 1755 in Éboulement, Qc.. He died on 29 Nov 1841 in Malbaie, Qc.. Dominique Gagnon married Genevieve Lavoie on 26 Oct 1778 in Éboulement, Qc..
Genevieve Lavoie [Parents] was born on 9 Oct 1759 in Les Eboulements, Qc.. She married Dominique Gagnon on 26 Oct 1778 in Éboulement, Qc..
They had the following children:


M
i
Dominique Gagnon


M
ii
Etienne Gagnon


M
iii
Augustin Gagnon


F
iv
Josephte Gagnon


M
v
Charles Gagnon


F
vi
Genevieve Gagnon was born on 8 Jun 1789 in Malbaie, Qc..


M
vii
Isidore Gagnon


F
viii
Madeleine Gagnon8- Charles Gagnon [Parents] was born on 12 Jul 1787 in Malbaie, Qc.. He married Genevieve Bilodeau on 19 Feb 1811 in La Malbaie, Qc..
Other marriages:
Girard, Charlotte
Desgagne, Genevieve
Genevieve Bilodeau [Parents] was born in 1791. She died in 1815. Genevieve Bilodeau married Charles Gagnon on 19 Feb 1811 in La Malbaie, Qc..
They had the following children:


M
i
Dominique Gagnon


F
ii
Angelique Gagnon
---------------------------------
8- Charles Gagnon [Parents] was born on 12 Jul 1787 in Malbaie, Qc.. He married Charlotte Girard on 20 Feb 1816 in Malbaie, Qc..
Other marriages:
Bilodeau, Genevieve
Desgagne, Genevieve
Charlotte Girard [Parents] was born in 1792. She died in 1865. Charlotte Girard married Charles Gagnon on 20 Feb 1816 in Malbaie, Qc..
They had the following children:


M
i
Charles Gagnon


M
ii
Israel Gagnon


F
iii
Flore Gagnon


M
iv
Tobie Gagnon


F
v
Genevieve Gagnon


M
vi
Andre Gagnon


M
vii
Alexis Gagnon


F
viii
M.-Anne Gagnon


F
ix
Sylvie Gagnon was born on 9 Jan 1818 in Malbaie, Qc.. She died on 31 Mar 1860 in Grande-Baie, Qc..


F
x
Felicite Gagnon was born on 10 Aug 1827 in Malbaie, Qc..


F
xi
M.-Louise Gagnon was born on 15 Aug 1839 in Grande-Baie, Qc..
---------------------------------
8- Charles Gagnon [Parents] was born on 12 Jul 1787 in Malbaie, Qc.. He married Genevieve Desgagne on 9 Apr 1866 in Grande-Baie, Qc..
Other marriages:
Bilodeau, Genevieve
Girard, Charlotte
Genevieve Desgagne [Parents] married Charles Gagnon on 9 Apr 1866 in Grande-Baie, Qc..
Other marriages:
Tremblay, Louis

9- Alexis Gagnon [Parents] was born on 5 Aug 1836 in Malbaie, Qc.. He married Marie Boily on 20 Sep 1858 in Bagotville, Qc..
Marie Boily [Parents] was born in 1838. She married Alexis Gagnon on 20 Sep 1858 in Bagotville, Qc..
They had the following children:


F
i
Arthemise Gagnon


M
ii
Jean-Baptiste Gagnon


F
iii
Eugenie Gagnon


M
iv
Louis-E. Gagnon


F
v
Alphonsine Gagnon


M
vi
Abraham Gagnon


M
vii
Joseph Gagnon


M
viii
Roger Gagnon was born on 3 Sep 1875 in Grande-Baie, Qc..


M
ix
Stanislas Gagnon


M
x
Alexis Gagnon


M
xi
Donat Gagnon


M
xii
Conrad Gagnon

10- Louis-E. Gagnon [Parents] was born on 10 Jan 1868 in Grande-Baie, Qc.. He died in 1953. Louis-E. Gagnon married Alice-Elise Gagnon on 26 Nov 1894 in Grande-Baie, Qc..
Other marriages:
Gagnon, Laure
Alice-Elise Gagnon [Parents] was born on 22 Jan 1878 in Grande-Baie, Qc.. She died on 1 Apr 1924 in Grande-Baie, Qc.. Alice-Elise Gagnon married Louis-E. Gagnon on 26 Nov 1894 in Grande-Baie, Qc..
They had the following children:


F
i
Yvonne Gagnon


M
ii
Edmour Gagnon


M
iii
Albert Gagnon


F
iv
Alice Gagnon


M
v
Georges-Henri Gagnon


M
vi
Louis-Eugene Gagnon


F
vii
Jeanne Gagnon


F
viii
Blanche Gagnon

10- Louis-E. Gagnon [Parents] was born on 10 Jan 1868 in Grande-Baie, Qc.. He died in 1953. Louis-E. Gagnon married Laure Gagnon on 7 Dec 1932 in Grande-Baie, Qc..
Other marriages:
Gagnon, Alice-Elise
Laure Gagnon [Parents] was born in 1889 in Grande-Baie, Qc.. She married Louis-E. Gagnon on 7 Dec 1932 in Grande-Baie, Qc..
Other marriages:
Potvin, Daniel

11- Edmour Gagnon was born on 25 May 1897 in Grande-Baie, Qc.. He died in 1960 in Port-Alfred, Qc..
Edmour married M.-Anna Sergerie, daughter of Felix Sergerie and Azeline Gauthier, on 5 Sep 1921 in Grande-Baie, Qc.. M.-Anna was born in 1901. She died in 1967 in Port-Alfred, Qc..
They had the following children:
+
2
M
i
Albert Gagnon
+
3
M
ii
Leopold Gagnon
+
4
F
iii
Antoinette Gagnon
+
5
M
iv
Laurent Gagnon
+
6
M
v
Fernand Gagnon
+
7
M
vi
Gerard Gagnon

8
M
vii
Tommas-Tommy Gagnon




Tommas-Tommy married Rose Grenier, daughter of Rene Grenier and Lucienne Lemieux.




+
9
M
viii
Raymond Gagnon

10
F
ix
Ghislaine Gagnon




Ghislaine married Jacques Legendre, son of Georges Legendre and Irene Cote.

11
M
x
Magella Gagnon




Magella married Denise Boisvert, daughter of Adrien Boisvert and Jeanne Lavoie.

12
M
xi
Jean-Claude Gagnon




Jean-Claude married Laurence Girard, daughter of Benoit Girard and Bernadette Lapointe.
+
13
F
xii
Carmen Gagnon

12- Albert Gagnon (Edmour )
Albert married Antoinette Gagne, daughter of Axel Gagne and Blanche Tremblay, on 23 Aug 1948 in Grande-Baie, Qc.. Antoinette was born in 1923. She died on 21 Apr 2005 in La Baie, Qc..
They had the following children:

14
M
i
Michel Gagnon




Michel married Jeanne-Mance Tremblay, daughter of Henri-Simon Tremblay and Claire Simard.

15
F
ii
Lise Gagnon




Lise married Pierre-Paul Boivin, son of Jean-Jules Boivin and Marguerite Gagnon.

16
M
iii
Paul-Rene Gagnon




Paul-Rene married Lola Martin, daughter of Raymond Martin and Judith Gagnon.

17
F
iv
Johanne Gagnon




Johanne married Sylvain St-Gelais, son of Maurice St-Gelais and Adeline Dufour.

18
M
v
Marc-Andre Gagnon

19
M
vi
Bruno Gagnon




Bruno married Nathalie Jean, daughter of Roger Jean and Aline Auclair.

20
M
vii
Carl Gagnon




Carl married Manon Brunet.
Leopold Gagnon (Edmour )
Leopold married (1) Gertrude Marquis, daughter of Joseph Marquis and Alberta Girard, on 5 Sep 1945 in Port-Alfred, Qc.. Gertrude was born in 1922. She died in 1980 in La Baie, Qc..
They had the following children:

21
M
i
Maurice Gagnon




Maurice married Gaetane Larouche, daughter of Eugene Larouche and Lucette Murray.

22
M
ii
Jean-Paul Gagnon




Jean-Paul married Francine Mercier.

23
F
iii
Therese Gagnon




Therese married Ghislain Mercier, son of Lucien Mercier and Rita Belanger.
Leopold also married (2) Rita Girard.
Antoinette Gagnon (Edmour )
Antoinette married Guy Gagnon, son of Armand Gagnon and Rosalia-Alba Gagne.
They had the following children:


Lilly Gagnon

24
M
i
Hugues Gagnon




Hugues married France Charlebois, daughter of Marcel Charlebois and Rejeanne Yelle.
Laurent Gagnon (Edmour )
Laurent married Gisele Bergeron, daughter of Aime Bergeron and M.-Ange Simard.
They had the following children:

25
M
i
Christian Gagnon




Christian married Nathalie Larouche.
Fernand Gagnon (Edmour )
Fernand married Ruth Gagnon, daughter of Armand Gagnon and Rosalia-Alba Gagne.
They had the following children:

26
F
i
France Gagnon

27
M
ii
Francois Gagnon

28
F
iii
Lucie Gagnon

29
F
iv
Claude Gagnon




Claude married Nick Gagnon, son of Jacques Gagnon and Josette Gagnon.
Gerard Gagnon (Edmour )
Gerard married Raymonde Lavoie, daughter of Georges Lavoie and Rose-Delima Legendre, on 16 Jun 1956 in Bagotville, Qc.. Raymonde was born in 1927. She died on 3 Aug 2005 in La Baie, Qc..
They had the following children:
+
30
F
i
Louise Gagnon
+
31
M
ii
Fabien Gagnon
Raymond Gagnon (Edmour ) was born in 1935. He died on 26 Feb 1993 in Antigonish.
Raymond married Joy Harpell.
They had the following children:

32
M
i
Stephen Gagnon

33
M
ii
Ross-Eugene Gagnon




Ross-Eugene married Tracy Burns
Child. Cooper-Ross
Child. Cohen-Raymond
Carmen Gagnon (Edmour )
Carmen married Herve Simard DR, son of J.-Aime Simard and Elizabeth Dahl.
They had the following children:

34
F
i
Chantale Simard




Chantale married Pierre Dufour, son of Jacques Dufour and Edith Caron.







Dates

1 Barnabe Gagnon-Gaignon 1523-1581 Tourouvre,Perche,France
2Pierre Gagnon-Gaignon 1560-1633
Tourouvre,Perche,France
3Jean Gagnon 1610-1670
Aubin Tourouvre,France To Quebec
4Jean Gagnon 1648-1687
Chateau-Richer,Quebec
5Joseph Gagnon1685-1761
Chateau-Richer,Quebec
6Dominique Gagnon 1730-1810
Baie-St-Paul,Quebec
7Dominique Gagnon 1755-1841
Eboulement,Quebec
8Charles Gagnon 1787-????
Malbaie,Quebec
9Alexis Gagnon 1836-????
Malbaie,Quebec
10Louis-E Gagnon1868-1953
Grande-Baie,Quebec
11Edmour Gagnon 1889-1960
Grande-Baie,Quebec
12Raymond Gagnon 1935-1993
13Ross Gagnon 1968-
14Cooper Gagnon 1998-
14Cohen Gagnon 2001-
13Stephen Gagnon
14Patricia Gagnon 1992-
14Emily Gagnon 1999








Is this the way the Gagnon's came from France?







Samuel de Champlain's First Voyage - 1603The Path to Settlement
At the turn of the century, exploration had taken second place to fur trading with the Native People of the New World. France was financially strapped and even the new king, Henri IV, lived little better than a pauper. Protestant by birth, Henri had converted to Catholicism to help him rule the Catholic-dominated country. France was poor, but the Catholic Church was very rich.
King Henri then filled his government with Huguenots (French Protestants) and rewrote the tax laws and set up agricultural programs that helped France get back on track. However, he was convinced that trade income from New France was the answer to the country's financial problems.
Following the lead of the Dutch and Spanish, King Henri decided to create a company to oversee the colonization and fur trade of New France rather than to depend on private funding. To that end, he founded The Canada and Acadia Company in 1603 and granted to it a fur trade monopoly over all the land from present-day Philidelphia to Cape Breton Island.
Aymar de Clermont de Chaste was appointed Vice-Admiral of France who sent Samuel de Champlain, probably on commission from King Henri IV, on his first voyage to Canada. Champlain's instructions were to retrace Cartier's route from over a half-century earlier and to begin setting up trade relations with the Iroquoians and with any other Indian Nations he encountered.
Champlain was no novice to the sea. He had been born in the coastal town of Brouage in 1567, the son of a navy captain. He was later in King Henry IV's army and sailed to the West Indies with the Spanish forces. It was on his return to France that he met de Chaste.
In the first of his 21 voyages to the New World, Champlain sailed to Tadussac at the mouth of the Saguenay River on the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River. Tadussac was, at that time, the only inland trading post and was used by all the major European countries. It was at Tadoussac that Champlain had his first encounter with the Natives of New France and was fortunate enough to have arrived at a time when the Natives were holding their annual celebration. In his journals, Champlain refered to the natives as 'sauvages' ('savages') as they appeared uncivilized and barbarous, eating with their fingers and wiping their hands on their own bodies or on their dogs.
Champlain became intrigued by the Saguenay River and sailed into it as far as his large ships would allow. When they could travel no further, Champlain asked his Native guides what lay upstream and was told of rapids and falls and of a far-away salt-water sea (Hudson Bay).
Champlain returned to the St. Lawrence and continued sailing up the river. He searched for Stadacona, but the village was no-longer there. They passed the mouth of the Richelieu River which the guides called 'the Iroquois route' and warned Champlain of the dangers of the Iroquois, mortal and long-time enemies of the Natives north of the St. Lawrence. Nevertheless, Champlain sailed up the river as far as the Saint Pours Rapids. He was told of a lake further south (Lake Champlain) and of another river which emptied near the cost of Florida. Some historians believe the Natives may have been talking of the Mississippi, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Others believe that they were talking of the Hudson River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean at New York.
Returning to the St. Lawrence, Champlain continued upstream, noting that the village of Hochelaga was also gone. Eventually, Champlain reached the rapids at Lachine and, after shooting the rapids in a canoe, gained the admiration of the Natives. Friendly relationships with the Iroquoians who met with him grew quickly. The kidnapping of Iroquoian Chief Donnacona by French explorer Jacques Cartier almost 70 years earlier (see 1536) had not been forgotten by the Natives, but they clearly understood the benefits of trade with the Europeans and were anxious to re-establish friendly relationships.
During his visit there, Champlain asked questions about the land beyond. He was told of a great nework of lakes and rivers and he learned of the existance of Niagara Falls. With the Natives sketching in the sand and on birch bark, Champlain learned the basic lay-out of the system. He was convinced that the Pacific Ocean and the route to Cathay was not far away, but he decided not to continue his search during this voyage. Instead, he decided to return to France with his news and departed on September 20.
In his journals, Champlain noted that Trois-Rivières would make an ideal spot for settlement. He also wrote that he had never seen a more beautiful country.
On his return to France, Champlain discovered that de Chaste had died and that his friend, Pierre du Gua de Monts, Lieutenant General of Acadia, was now in charge of the monopoly. The King named Champlain as de Chaste's successor as Vice-Admiral of France.
In 1604, Champlain would return to the New World to found the first permanent settlement in Canada.