Du Gua had known Samuel de Champlain for a number of years and was aware of his extensive travels in New France. Champlain had travelled up the Saint Lawrence as far as the Lachine Rapids in 1603 and had been in Acadia from 1604 to 1607, where he spent the winter and helped build two settlements. He was also an accomplished writer, illustrator and cartographer, having published an account of the trip he had taken in 1603 and kept a journal of his days in Acadia. Du Gua was familiar with both works.

Construction of the settlement on the Saint Lawrence began in 1608, and the site has been continuously occupied since then (Fig. 1). Four centuries later, the site of the settlement - where Place Royale now stands - is at the heart of the historical section of Lower Town (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2 - Location of the Quebec settlement (under Place Royale and Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church) a) outline of the north end of the settlement; b) probable location of the forge Photo © Pierre Lahoud

Six archaeological digs were conducted at the site between the winter of 1975-1976 and the summer of 1988. About 200 m² of the estimated 2000 m² surface of the original site were excavated. The vestiges of the settlement were found, and a significant number of objects attesting to its occupation were collected. These vestiges, artifacts and ecofacts are helping to clarify the limited information provided by Champlain and his contemporaries.