Champlain's Island: An Expanded Edition of Ste. Croix (Dochet) Island

In June, 1604, Samuel de Champlain, Pierre Du Gua de Monts, and a small band of adventurers landed on a small island near the mouth of the St. Croix River. There, they constructed buildings and deployed weapons, establishing the first European settlement north of Florida and founding the French colony of Acadia.During the unusually harsh winter that followed, the explorers suffered months of hunger, disease, and great privation. By spring, almost half had perished; the survivors abandoned Ste. Croix Island and moved across the Bay of Fundy to Port Royal. Even so, the island's fortifications remained an important French foothold in Acadia.