Jacques Cartier Explorers of North America

Hey everybody, it's Mr. Winder again, and I'm here to talk to you about a man named Jacques Cartier. In the early 1500s, France decided to find a short route to the Indies by trying a northern route around America. This route was called the Northwest Passage. In 1534, a Frenchman named Jacques Cartier set off from Saint-Malo, France to find the passage. He had two ships and a crew of 62 men. Cartier headed northwest. He reached Newfoundland and sailed around its northern tip to Labrador. On land, he set up a cross and claimed the area for France. He named the land New France. After leaving Labrador, Cartier sailed southwest and discovered a gulf. The gulf was later named the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Cartier explored lands around the gulf. He bought furs from the native tribes. He called Cartier. Their country was named Canada. Cartier kept looking for the Northwest Passage. Finally, he discovered a river flowing west from the gulf. He thought it might lead to the Pacific Ocean, but it was late summer and the weather would soon become cold. With no time left to explore this river, Cartier headed back to France. In July of 1535, the King of France sent Cartier back to explore the river. This time, Cartier had three ships and a crew of 100 men. He finally reached the river, which was later named the Saint Lawrence River. As he sailed west along the Saint Lawrence, the water became shallow. He had to leave behind his largest ships and set off in small boats. Cartier ended up in an area that is now called Montreal. There, he met a tribe of friendly Huron Indians. The French explorers turned back when they didn't find the Northwest Passage. They traveled the river back to where they had left their ships. Men who had stayed behind with the ships had built a fort in this area, later named Quebec. Cartier and his crew spent a very cold winter. Many men became ill with scurvy. The Indians taught Cartier and his crew how to cure scurvy, so his men were saved. When the weather warmed, Cartier and his men sailed back to France. A new French king gave Cartier money to sail back and set up a colony in the new country. The colony fell, mostly because of the freezing weather of Canada's winters. During the next 20 years, France was at war and lost interest in Canada and finding a Northwest Passage.