The development of the natural habitat of Place-Royale

Approximately 18,000 years ago, during the so-called Wisconsin period, the region was covered by a glacier several kilometres thick. It was not until around 10,500 ago that this ice mass receded from the St. Lawrence region, completely flooding the strait. Part of this expanse formed what would later come to be known as the Champlain Sea.

How deep underwater was the Place-Royale site when the Champlain Sea was formed?

The bedrock, which had previously been compressed by the weight of the ice, gradually rose, naturally reducing the size of this body of water.

Approximately 7,800 years ago, the precursor to the present-day river began to form, and by around 1,000 years ago it had stabilized into a form similar to the one we know today. The hill of Quebec was gradually reclaimed by flora and fauna. As temperatures rose, the region’s vegetation changed from a tundra landscape to a boreal forest, then to a hardwood forest. The local fauna also became more diverse, with the arrival of fish, followed by marine mammals, land mammals and so on.

These progressive transformations paved the way for the settlement of the first human groups in southern Quebec. The area that would one day become Place-Royale developed into a rich ecological environment as the soil settled, drinking water became available and natural resources began to abound.