Samuel Champlain
(1567? -1635)
Called the "Father of New France"
Samuel du Champlain founded Quebec, the first permanent French settlement in North America. He also kept the struggling community alive during its early years. He explored Canada as far west as Lake Huron and also discovered the lake in New York that bears his name.
Samuel du Champlain was born in 1567 in Brouage, a small French seaport on the Bay of Biscay. Little is known of Champlain's family background. However it is known that Champlain learned the ways of the sea from his uncle. His father was a sea captain, and young Samuel was trained in seamanship, navigation, and mapmaking.
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