Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site |
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| Type | Urban park |
| Location | 175, rue de l'Espinay Quebec City, Quebec G1L 4W6 |
| Governing body | Parks Canada |
| Owner | Parks Canada |
| Designated | 1972 |
The Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site is a special place in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It's a park and a museum that tells important stories from Canada's past. This site was officially recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1958. This happened thanks to John Diefenbaker, who was the Prime Minister of Canada at the time.
Parks Canada takes care of the site. It is located where the Saint-Charles and Lairet rivers meet. The site includes an interpretation centre and a large, green park. You can find several monuments and special features here.
This historic site remembers two big events. First, it's where the famous French explorer Jacques Cartier and his crew spent a very difficult winter. This happened in 1535-1536 during his second trip to Canada. They stayed near an Iroquoian village called Stadacona, which is now Quebec City. Second, the site also marks where the first Jesuit missionaries settled in Quebec. This happened in 1625–1626.
Before it became a national historic site in 1972, this area was very busy. From the late 1600s, many different businesses operated here. There were places like tanneries, potteries, brickyards, and shipyards.
Today, the site offers a museum exhibition for visitors. It also has special activities for school groups and themed events. It's a natural green space right in the city. A bike path and a walking trail also run through the park.
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Jacques Cartier's Winter Adventure (1535-1536)
During his second trip to Canada, Jacques Cartier still hoped the Saint Lawrence River would lead him to Asia. When he saw the river getting narrower near Quebec City, he looked for a safe harbor. He wanted to leave his two biggest ships, the Grande Hermine and Petite Hermine, there. Then he planned to continue exploring towards Hochelaga (now Montreal) on his smaller ship, Émerillon.
On September 8, 1535, Cartier found a good harbor. He named it Sainte-Croix (Holy Cross). It was located where the Saint-Charles and Lairet rivers meet, close to the Iroquoian village of Stadacona. When he returned from his exploration, Cartier found that his crew had built a small fort around the ships. They were worried about the Stadaconeans.
Cartier decided to spend the winter at this spot. However, they were not ready for the harsh Canadian winter. Cartier and his crew chose to stay inside their ships. They thought this would be better than building shelters on land. This choice turned out to be very bad.
The winter of 1535–1536 was deadly for the crew. Out of 110 men, 106 caught scurvy, a terrible disease. Twenty-five of them died. Their bodies were likely buried on the site. The others were saved by a special tea called annedda. This tea was made from a Canadian tree (either white cedar or balsam fir). The Iroquoians knew how to make it.
Before heading back to France in the spring of 1536, Cartier put up a cross. It honored Francis I, the King of France. He wrote on it: "Franciscus primus, dei gratia francorum rex, regnat" (Long live Francis I by God's grace king of the France). When it was time to leave, Cartier had to leave the Petite Hermine behind. He didn't have enough sailors to steer all three ships. He also took 10 Iroquoians from Stadacona with him.
Five years passed before Cartier returned to Canada. In 1541, he chose to settle in Cap-Rouge. He named this new place Charlesbourg-Royal.
Finding Clues to Cartier's Stay
Archaeologists have searched for items from Jacques Cartier's time. They also looked for traces of the Notre-Dame-des-Anges residence. Digs happened in 1959, 1962, 1986, 1993, 2004, and 2007. The ground has changed a lot over time due to human activities. Because of this, no direct traces of Cartier's stay have been found yet.
However, archaeologists have found many objects from later times. These items are linked to businesses and industries from New France onward. The most important things still to be found are the graves of the 25 sailors who died. Also, the remains of the small fort and its ditches have not been found.
So, the main proof of Cartier's stay comes from old writings. These include notes by Jacques Cartier himself and by Samuel de Champlain.
Jacques Cartier wrote: "And we went some ten leagues up the river... We thought this river St-Charles a suitable place in which to lay up our ships in safety. We named it 'St-Croix', as we arrive there that day."
Samuel de Champlain wrote: "Moreover, near Quebec, there's little river... I am of opinion that this river (st-charles)... is a place where Jacques Cartier wintered, since there are still... remains of what seems to have been a cheminey, the foundation of which has been found and indications of there having been ditches surrounding there dwelling which was small."
The Jesuits and Their First Home
It was also at the meeting point of the Saint-Charles and Lairet rivers that a group of five Jesuit missionaries settled in 1625. Their goal was to teach the native people about Christianity. This was the very first time the Society of Jesus settled in Quebec.
The group included Fathers Jean de Brébeuf, Énemond Massé, and Charles Lalement. Also there were brothers François Chartoin and Gilbert Burel. They named their home Notre-Dame-des-Anges (Our Lady of the Angels). It had two buildings. The first was made of wood planks, about 13 meters wide and 7.5 meters long. The second was a bit smaller and used as a barn, stable, and workshop.
They had to leave their land in 1629 when the Kirke brothers took control of Quebec City. The Jesuits only came back in 1632. They found their buildings partly destroyed. In 1636, they rebuilt their home and made it bigger. It even hosted the Huron seminary until 1639.
Businesses and Industries on the Site
From 1688 until the early 1970s, many different businesses operated where the Cartier-Brébeuf National Historic Site now stands. Here are some of them in order of when they were active:
- Landron-L'archevêque brickyard: 1688 to 1714
- L'archevêque tannery: 1702 to 1722
- Marie-Anne Barbel pottery: 1746 to 1752
- George Holmes-Parke shipyard: around 1840
- Edmond-Ovide Richard sawmill: 1863 to 1867
- Cléophas Rochette brickyard: 1867 to 1930
- Arsenault junkyard: 1941 to 1958
- Municipal snow-dumping lot: 1959 to the early 1970s
How the Site Became a National Historic Site
In the 1800s, people in Quebec City became more interested in creating a site to remember Jacques Cartier's second voyage. Here are some important steps in the site's history:
- 1835: A wooden cross was put up to remember Cartier's second trip. It was in front of the hôpital de la Marine.
- 1886: The Quebec City Catholic Circle bought the land.
- 1888: A new metal cross was put up by the Quebec City Catholic Circle. This cross is still there today.
- 1920: The Cartier-Jesuits monument was officially opened.
- 1926: The cross was lit up.
- 1957: Former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker visited the site. He then asked the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada to recognize its importance.
- 1958: The site was officially declared historically important.
- 1959: The Canadian government bought the land. The first archaeological digs began.
- 1962: More archaeological digs took place.
- 1969: The Lairet River was channeled, and more digs happened.
- 1970: The cross was moved to a new spot on the site.
- 1972: The site was built, a replica of the Grande Hermine ship was installed, and the interpretation center opened.
- 1984: The cross was lit up again and blessed by Pope John Paul II.
- 1985: The first longhouse (a type of traditional Indigenous home) was built. Sadly, it was destroyed by a fire the same year.
- 1986-1987: A second longhouse was built with a fence around it. The Grande Hermine replica was moved out of the water. More archaeological digs happened near the longhouse.
- October 11, 1987: Special stone markers (steles) were revealed. They honored the meeting of two cultures in the 1500s. A plaque for Donnacona, an Iroquoian leader, was also unveiled.
- 1993: More archaeological digs were done.
- 1996: A second plaque for Donnacona was unveiled in three languages.
- 2001: The Grande Hermine replica was removed. A Jesuit display was put in its place.
- 2003: A landslide happened over the Lairet River channel.
- 2004: Archaeological digs found pieces of wood older than Jacques Cartier's time.
- 2007: The longhouse was taken down to fix the Lairet River channel. More archaeological digs were done.
- 2008-2009: Major work was done to make the site better. The Lairet River was brought back to daylight.
- 2010: The site fully reopened. Celebrations marked 475 years since Jacques Cartier's second voyage. New information panels were installed.
Elements on the Site
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Contemporary representation of the Petite Hermine
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Representation of the cross erected by Jacques Cartier in 1536
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Steles of the meeting of two cultures in the 16th century
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Jesuit stand
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Cartier-Jesuits monument
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One of the interpretation panels
Elements Removed from the Site
From 1972 until 2001, a replica of the Grande Hermine ship was on display at the site. It was built in 1966 for a big exhibition in Montreal in 1967. The replica was in an artificial lake until 1987. Then, it was moved onto dry land, and its masts were removed. It stayed out of the water until 2001. After 29 years, it was taken apart because it had become unsafe.
Two longhouses were built at the site. They showed what homes of the Saint-Lawrence Iroquoians looked like. The first one was built in 1985 but was destroyed by a fire that same year. The second one, which had a fence around it, was built in 1986-1987. It was taken down in 2007 to make way for new changes to the park.
