"on the same River where the Dutch have built a wretched redoubt": Space, Place and the Creation of the Southern Border of New France in the Lake Champlain Richelieu River Valley.

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Colonial Forts in Comparative, Global, and Contemporary Perspective", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The long 18th century was a time of conflict and contestation between the French, British and First Nations peoples in eastern North America. In a 1663 letter the Baron Pierre Dubois D’Avaugour, Governor of New France, suggested building three forts to defend the southern frontier of the colony. In 1665 – 1666, the Carignan-Salière regiment built the first forts to suit this purpose. Over the next 100 years, French forces constructed many fortifications along the Lake Champlain Richelieu River Valley between the Saint-Lawrence in Québec and Lake George, NY. These posts served as mission, garrison, refuge, customs house, military outpost and symbol of French imperial might. Each of these forts functioned as a node within the larger riparian string of defenses designed to control and defend the southern border of New France. This paper examines the division of space and construction of place along the Lake Champlain Richelieu River contested waterway.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Colonial Forts in Comparative, Global, and Contemporary Perspective   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow