IV.

History

The St. Lawrence Valley was once home to the Iroquois, Algonquin, Huron, Mohawk, Abenaki, and Montagnais peoples. The first European to visit the St. Lawrence River was the French explorer Jacques Cartier, in 1535. The first permanent European settlement on the St. Lawrence was established at the site of present-day Québec City by French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1608. The river remained in French hands during the 17th and 18th centuries, when it served as the main route of the fur trade, transporting pelts from the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Valley for shipment to Europe. The British gained control of the region at the end of the French and Indian War in 1763. In 1867 Britain's Parliament passed the British North America Act, which formed the Dominion of Canada and included the St. Lawrence Valley. Today most of the valley lies within the province of Québec.