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Samuel de Champlain was born in Brouage, Province of Saintonge, France in 1574. He was most likely born a Protestant, but came a Catholic as an adult. He learned the ways of the sea from his uncle.
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Some of Champlain's earliest travels were with his uncle. They went as far as Spain and the West Indies. Then from 1601 to 1603, he was a geographer for King Henry IV, and then he joined François Gravé Du Pont's expedition to Canada in 1603. -
In 1604 Champlain was chosen to be geographer for Lieutenant-General Pierre Du Gua de Monts. That May they landed on the southeast coast of what is now Nova Scotia. Then Champlain chose a location for temporary settlement. They explored St. John River and the Bay of Fundy before choosing a small island in the St. Croix River. The they built a fort and spent the winter there. -
In the summer of 1605, the Champlain and his team sailed down the coast of New England. They made it as far as Cape Cod. Champlain was the first to give a detailed account of the region that would one day be Plymouth Rock. -
When Champlain returned to France, he found himself in lawsuits and was unable to return to Quebec. He spent his time in France writing the stories of his travels, with maps and illustrations. -
After some time in 1632 Champlain was able to returned to Quebec. Champlain returned to be its governor. By this time, his health was failing and he was forced to retire in 1633. Sadly he died in Quebec on Christmas Day in 1635.
