Champlain, Samuel de

Champlain, Samuel de (about 1567-1635), French explorer.

Champlain made a series of voyages to North America.

In 1603 he sailed up the St Lawrence River (discovered by Jacques Carrier) and, five years later, he founded the city of Quebec.

In 1609 he went on an expedition overland with Algonkin and Huron Indians and discovered a lake which he named Lake Champlain.

He later became governor of New France, as Canada was then called, and died at Quebec.

See Joanne Mattern The Travels of Samuel De Champlain