I recently the book “Cinq siècles de pêche à la morue – Terre-Neuvas & Islandais” (Five centuries of cod fishing) written by Nelson Cazeils (in French, sorry!). The book discusses the history of cod fishing in all its aspects.
Brittany and French America: the two things I am passionate about. Born and raised in France, a proud “Brittany girl” and have lived in Quebec and North-East USA which used to be part of New France, I started to get very interested in the early colonial history of this region a few years ago. This…
I recently read a fascinating French book which I would recommend to anyone interested in early colonial history of the US, or should I say “French America”. The author: Jean Raspail, a renowned French writer, journalist and also explorer. The French title: “En Canot Sur les Chemins D’Eau Du Roi: Une Aventure En Amérique (Le…
I have to come to France to learn more about 15th century expeditions to North-America than I have while living in Canada or the US. I knew that Bretons and Basques (respectively people from Brittany, France and from the region between France and Spain) had been fishing and exploring the seawaters of Newfoundland and the…
Come and join us this Thursday night at the Saratoga National Historical Park for an exciting presentation sponsored by the Old Saratoga Historical Association. The presentation will be at the Visitor Center at Saratoga National Historical Park, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The Visitor Center is located at 648 Route 32 in Stillwater, NY. For directions,…
For those who were curious to know more about the tour I mentioned in the article On the Steps of Champlain – Part 1, here are the details of the 7-day tour across France, on the steps of Samuel de Champlain. It was an extraordinary trip.
I just received this fascinating story from Christine Valosin, curator at the Saratoga National Historical Park. I couldn’t help but sharing it with everyone. Here is what she wrote to me: My colleague, Chris Martin, the park’s resource manager, and I, began to realize about a year ago that if we conducted any historical or…
After a summer of excavations at Chimney Point, archeologists know more about the French fort which used to stand there in 1731. Last fall, a local historian had told me that they believed they had found a stone foundation of the fort. I have to admit I was surprised, because the fort built there by…
Some days luck is on your side. It’s that simple! On this day of July 2009, I came across the most unexpected little treasure: an original newspaper from July 18, 1908, a Special Issue celebrating the 300th of the founding of Quebec City by Samuel de Champlain, with four pages dedicated to Champlain, Honfleur, Wolfe…
Are you surprised by the question? Well, actually Lake Champlain was part of New France for more than 150 years, from 1609 to 1759. But that part of its history tends to be forgotten. And it makes sense why. “Losers” are often forgotten in history, and definitely the presence of French people in this region…
