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Samuel goes to sea
In the fall of 1606, a group of French settlers from Port-Royal set sail to explore the coastal waters south of Acadia. Among them was a mapmaker named Samuel de Champlain. It must have been a cold, wet trip for it was undertaken in a small, open boat.
Champlain is best known as the fearless explorer and founder of Québec City, but before this time he was a cartographer or mapmaker. On the voyage of 1606, he was responsible for drawing maps and charts of the new territory, which he did in very great detail as they sailed all the way down the coast of New England from Nova Scotia to Cape Cod and back. On the journey, they encountered shipwrecks and skirmishes, as well as poor weather and ill health as winter set in. Along the way, Champlain charted the sea coast and its landscape features. The accurate maps he produced were a great help to later explorers and settlers. However, although he was an excellent and detailed mapmaker, Champlain made no effort to record his own likeness.
Canada Post celebrates the historic importance of this journey with a domestic rate (51¢) stamp issued jointly with the United States Postal service, the third in a series of stamps honouring the 400th anniversary of the first French settlements in North America, which will culminate in a 2008 issue celebrating the founding of Québec City.
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