13. Come to Tadoussac for furs; stay for cod
Furs might have been European’s first love in Canada, but their heart found lasting love in Gadus
Shivering inside their rough-hewn fort, French fur traders wrapped up in their furs raised a cheer that they had survived the winter. Salut!
They all asked themselves the same question. Every time a cold blast of wind drove through the gaps between the logs, they cursed under their breath - Ce pays perdu! This godforsaken country! Why did we agree to go on this adventure! But they didn’t dare say this out loud for fear their captain might imagine they were planning a mutiny. To be fair, they were the survivors of a very harsh winter. They had never experienced that kind of winter before, although they shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, they all knew about the great explorer Jacques Cartier and his stories of his winters in Canada. Yet here they were on the shores of the St. Lawrence River.
Chauvin de Tonnetuit and Du Pont
They were part of the survivors of a mission to establish a fur trading monopoly for the French King Henry IV and the k…
