Absolutely! 🤩

Jacques Cartier is definitely the historical figure who met Chief Donnacona in 1534. During his first trip to America, Cartier received a mission from King François I to search for a passage to the Pacific in order to find territories rich in stones and precious metals. It was during his visit to the Bay of Gaspé that the explorer met several Iroquois from Stadaconé and their leader Donnacona. In September 1535, Jacques Cartier and several of his men set up a winter camp on the site of the current Cartier-Brébeuf site, not far from the town of Stadaconé and the Akiawenhrahk river.

Christophe Colomb, the Spanish, wanted to reach the Indies for the spice trade and he accidentally found himself in America on July 12, 1492, on an island of the Bahamas. During his trip, Colomb will also discover the island of Cuba and Haiti. After six months, the explorer returns to Spain to share his discoveries. Even if Christophe Colomb is not the first European to have discovered America, let’s remember the Vikings who came from Northern Europe in longships, his discovery marks the beginning of the colonization of American territories by Europeans.

After being awarded the title of royal geographer by the King of France Henri IV, Samuel de Champlain was given the mission of exploring Nouvelle-France to study the waterways with the aim of finding the perfect place to establish an important trading post. After several years of exploration, Champlain returned to the St-Lawrence Valley, more specifically to Stadaconé, to set up the trading post in question and found Quebec on July 3, 1608.