(Source : Nos Racines ("Our Roots"), booklet 5, pp. 96-97)

Hélène Boulé arrived in New France in July 1620, after a long and « fastidious crossing ». She left Québec on August 15, 1624 never to return. (Frank Craig, National Archives of Canada.)

For a while now, monsieur de Champlain has been exploring the Saint-Lawrence river which he wishes to know throughout. Today, he happened upon a beauteous island a little downstream from the great island of Montréal. He allowed our reporter to take a look at his notes where the following could be read :

« Midriver, there is an island of three-quarters of a league in circumference, where one might build a good, fortified city, and which we named the island of Saint-Helen. ».

The founder of Québec confessed with a smile that in doing so, he was paying homage to Hélène Boulé, the twelve-year old young lady he married on December 30, 1610, at the Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois church in Paris. She did not accompany him on his new voyage to Canada, and we were told on good authority that she is not eager to join him there.