In 1645, the three largest settlements in New France were Québec (later Québec City) (founded in 1608), Trois-Rivières (founded in 1634) and Ville-Marie (later Montréal) (founded in 1642). Although the territoryA territory is an area of land, or sometimes of sea, that we can say "belongs"... of New France was quite large, the vast majority of the populationPopulation comes from the Latin populus, meaning “the people.” We say population when we talk about a group... was concentrated in these three cities, which were all located in the St. Lawrence Valley.
In Québec, the Catholic church was expanding, and streets were being made. Québec was becoming a small village. Trois-Rivières was still a very small trading post. Montréal had just been founded and was inhabited by only a few people, including missionaries who wanted to convert Indigenous people to the Catholic religion. Montréal’s first fort was just being built.
Trading posts
When picking a location to build a settlement in New France around 1645, it was important that the location was good for fur trading. Québec, Trois-Rivières and Montréal were all located in the St. Lawrence Lowlands, near waterways that made it easy to transport goods, like fur, to Europe. These locations were also near Indigenous people, which was helpful for fur trading. Finally, the climateClimate is the average and normal weather in a specific place or region. and relief of the land in these areas made it fertileadjectif pour dire qu’un sol est bon pour l’agriculture. and good for farming.
From small village to big city
The settlements of Québec, Trois-Rivières and Montréal are still around today. What became of them? How have they changed?
