Jacques Cartier made three French voyages to northeastern North America between 1534 and the early 1540s, exploring the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the river system that later became central to French colonization.
On the first voyage in 1534 Cartier entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence and made contact with Indigenous peoples, including communities associated with the St. Lawrence Iroquoians.
He erected a cross at Gaspé and claimed territory for France, an imperial act that did not represent Indigenous consent or actual French control.
On the second voyage in 1535 Cartier sailed farther upriver, wintering near Stadacona in the region of present-day Quebec City and traveling to Hochelaga near present-day Montreal.
The winter was severe. Scurvy struck the French crew, and Indigenous knowledge of a medicinal preparation helped many survive.
Cartier’s third voyage was tied to an attempted colonization project under Jean-François de La Rocque de Roberval. The settlement effort failed.
Cartier also brought material he believed contained precious metals back to France, but it proved largely worthless, producing the later expression associated with “Canada diamonds.”
For TransitSatellite, each voyage needs a separate map because the extent of travel and purpose changed from reconnaissance to upriver exploration to attempted colonization.