́We walked the old city three times during our short, two-day visit. That’s the best way to see this 400-year-old town with narrow, hilly streets reminiscent of Europe. We camped across the river in the town of Lévis and rode a 10-minute ferry across the St. Lawrence River to the waterfront. The most prominent feature of Québec’s skyline is the Chateau Frontenac Hotel operated by the Fairmont Hotel Chain. The hotel is one of the grand hotels built by the Canada Pacific Railway to lure travelers.
The city was under French control for its first 150 years before the British took over. So the two different architectural styles stand side-by-side in the city. Early on, the British allowed the French residents of the province to retain their language and laws. The Quebecois have stubbornly protected their French heritage ever since. In fact, the official motto of the province is “Je me souviens” – in English “I remember.”
Our second day, we made an excellent decision to sign up for a guided walking tour to learn about the rich history of this amazing city. My activity monitor recorded 39 flights climbed over the whole day, including our own exploration after the tour. Below is a summary of some of the high points of our tour.
French explorer Jacques Cartier first sailed into the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1534. The following year, he proceeded upriver to the Iroquoian village of Stadacona, which stood on the site where Québec City is located today.
The name Québec has its origin with an Algonquin indigenous word, meaning “where the river narrows.” From the cliffs of Québec, it was possible for cannons to fire across the river and, hopefully, prevent enemy ships from penetrating further west. The great cliff of Québec, dominating the St. Lawrence from a height of more than 100 meters, makes the site a natural fortress. Over the centuries, the French, the British and then the Americans all fought to control this very strategic location.
It wasn’t until 1608 that French explorer Samuel de Champlain established a trading post on the site of Québec. At first, the sparsely populated location was controlled by private fur trading companies based in France. But, by 1645, when locally based merchants took over, the trading post had evolved into a small settlement. In 1663, Louis XIV, “the Sun King,” chose the strategic site of Québec to become the capital of New France, a royal province under his direct authority.
This fortified city and inland seaport, hundreds of kilometres from the Atlantic, would serve as a control point between the Atlantic World and the vast network of navigable rivers and lakes that would become the lifeblood of the French empire in North America. French expansion, along the St. Lawrence, to the Ottawa River and the Great Lakes, then down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, has been compared to the growth of the branches of a tree.
Forts and trading posts were established along the main rivers and then their principal tributaries, providing access ever deeper into the hinterland. Many North American cities considered as English-speaking began as French forts and trading posts: Le Fort Toronto is now Toronto, Ontario; Le Fort Frontenac is now Kingston, Ontario; Détroit is now Detroit, Michigan; and La Nouvelle Orléans is now New Orleans, Louisiana.
In 1759, the days of New France came to an end for Québec with the arrival of a huge British fleet: over 200 sailing ships, 13,500 sailors, 8,500 soldiers. The British had great difficulty taking Québec, but they had no difficulty in destroying most of the town.
With the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the French relinquished control of mainland North America, only keeping the fishing islands of St-Pierre and Miquelon off the coast of Newfoundland and their rich sugar islands in the Caribbean.
In 1775, two American armies launched an invasion into Canada. One was led by Col Benedict Arnold through Maine and the other was led by Richard Montgomery, from Lake Champlain.
They besieged Québec but failed to take the town. After occupying Montreal over the winter, the revolutionaries were obliged to withdraw in the spring of 1776, when British reinforcements arrived.
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_Arnold%27s_expedition_to_Quebec
Thanks Hank and Angie. Ember church mises you guys. I stayed at the Chateau Frontenac with my folks as a teen ager on our way 600 miles to the north in Quebec to Lac Mistassini. There’s a story there when we have time. Safe travels to you guys.