Discovering New France

Disappeared, New France? Not so! The traces left behind may not be immediately obvious, but you only have to listen carefully to observe that it is still alive. First of all in the French spoken in the former Acadie, Québec, Louisiana and all over Canada in a language that still sprinkles its speech with words from times past. Then, in the names given to places, roads and in the establishments encountered on the territory that belonged to it.

Extinct, New France? A journey along those roads explored and inhabited by the pioneers allows you to meet the men and women who are watching over a unique heritage. Yesterday's emigrants loved wide-open spaces; their heirs still maintain contact with the outdoors and nature in the wild. The pioneers of New France loved festivities and popular gatherings; their descendants, even more so, enjoy convivial get-togethers and festivals. The French of the old days evoked with nostalgia the food of doulce France ; French America maintains a welcoming tradition and has built its own reputation for savoury dishes.

In ruins, New France? Not so certain! The archaeologist gathers artifacts and remains. The historian studies the routes that people took. Museums safeguard their works both great and small. Libraries and archives preserve the documents that bear witness to the evolution of the first French society in North America. In the cities as much as in certain isolated sites, reminders still exist, though rarely intact. Carefully reconstructed, they allow us to imagine the context of everyday life.

From Saint-Malo to Québec

The Virtual Museum of New France's first tourist route is a concise guide. Some addresses, both essential and non-virtual, lead to France, Québec and Montréal.

The history of New France has a beginning. Let us join the fishermen and sailors from Saint-Malo. Let us follow Jacques Cartier into the gulf and valley of the Saint Lawrence. Let us observe the birth of the French institutions of Québec and Montréal. Let us see the settlers from Perche sign the deed that pledges them to spend several years or a lifetime in New France. While we are awaiting the hour of departure, let us visit La Rochelle and its port. Let us salute the work of these men and women, visible in the streets, towns and museums.

In France

Fécamp: Musée des Terre-Neuvas et de la pêche

A collection of model fishing boats and pictures showing the activities of these «New Worlders», these sailors from Haute-Normandie who went to fish for cod as far away as Newfoundland.

La Rochelle: Musée du Nouveau Monde

The collections in this museum bear witness to the vitality of the French in North America. The visit revolves around two large avenues. One is concerned with the maritime and colonial business of La Rochelle with French America. The other highlights the North American dream as it is translated into the works of artists and writers at the end of the 18th century. In the east wing of the museum the subjects are the Amerindians and Canada in the 17th century.



Illustration: Photo by Charles Danay.

Waiting to board ship; a scene of daily life around the seaport of La Rochelle in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Saint-Malo: Musée d'histoire de la ville de Saint-Malo

On four floors, the museum presents numerous objects and documents on the history of the town and the position it held in the areas of business and shipping. The life of Jacques Cartier and his contribution to the discovery and exploration of the gulf and valley of the Saint Lawrence are abundantly covered.

Tourouvre: Musée de l'histoire de l'émigration percheronne au Canada

An exhibition room in the town hall of this town of Perche is devoted to a reconstruction of the place where several Percheron people signed their contract of commitment to Canada. Often this moment was enacted in a public room in Tourouvre, hôtel du Cheval Blanc. Thematic tableaux describe the motivation and the circumstances surrounding the departure of the Percheron people.



Illustration: Photo Charles Danay.

Toussaint Giroust was born in 1633 in this old house of Réveillon-au-Perche, in Normandy. His descendants populated many parts of North America bearing the Giroux surname.

In Québec

Québec: Cartier-Brébeuf, a national historic site.

The collection assembled in this museum is concentrated around the voyage made in 1535 by Jacques Cartier when he was exploring the Saint Lawrence River. It includes a full-size reproduction of an Iroquois longhouse and La Grande Hermine, one of the ships commanded by Jacques Cartier. Here, the meeting between the European and Amerindian cultures of the 16th century is highlighted as well as the establishment of the first Jesuits in New France.

Québec: Musée des Augustines de l'hôpital général de Québec

This museum has a permanent exhibition of works of art and household and medical items tracing the history of the first hospital in America north of Mexico. The monastery and the vaulted cellars date from 1695.

Québec: Place royale

You can walk the streets of Place Royale, located on the edge of the port of Québec. The square is made up of a large number of houses built in the 17th and 18th century, most of which have been restored. There is a study centre where archival documents and thematic studies are available.

Lachine: National landmark : the fur trade in Lachine

The rise of New France was closely associated with the fur trade, a commercial activity that initiated many explorations to the northern, southern and western regions of present-day Québec. This centre recounts this epic time and shows many artifacts associated with it.