When he first visited the Saint Lawrence Valley, Champlain noticed that there was an abundance of good-quality fodder on the lowlands surrounding Cap Tourmente, just a few leagues upstream from the Quebec settlement. He quickly saw the advantages of establishing a livestock farm there to meet the needs of the residents of the settlement, where space was becoming limited because of the arrival of newcomers. In 1626, his plan became a reality.

Champlain had two dwellings measuring 15 by 18 French feet (4.87 m by 5.85 m) built on the site, as well as a barn-stable measuring 60 feet by 20 feet (19.5 m by 6.5 m). He also built an ice house, a vegetable cellar that was partly underground, and probably a woodshed. A vegetable garden was established near the dwellings, on the west side. The Récollets may have also built a chapel near the farm buildings in 1628. The farm, which was fortified, was operated until July 1628, when the Kirke brothers set fire to it, a year before Quebec surrendered.

Hatchet, 17th century Iron Found at the site of the first farm built at Cap Tourmente Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Photo: Alain Côté, Parks Canada

The Construction of the Farm Buildings

The main farm buildings, that is, the dwellings and the barn-stable, were built of wood and clay. The construction technique adopted was one that had been in use in Normandy since the Middle Ages, as Champlain himself mentions:

. . . Here therefore I resolved to build as soon as possible. Although we were then in July, I nevertheless had the greater part of the workmen employed in making the dwelling, the stable - sixty feet long by twenty wide - and two other dwellings, each eighteen feet by fifteen, constructed of wood and clay after the fashion of those that are built in the villages of Normandy . . . (Note)

The use of clay as a construction material ". . . dates back to antiquity and did not require skilled labour, which allowed people in rural areas to build walls with material taken, most of the time, from their own land. Clay was used to make pisé and cob. Pisé is usually made with raw clay to which nothing has been added, whereas vegetable or animal matter is added to cob. " (Note)

Cob Fragment, 17th century Clay and vegetable or animal matter Found at the site of the first farm built at Cap Tourmente Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Photo: Alain Côté, Parks Canada

The walls of the dwellings were made of raw clay (pisé) and erected on raw-clay foundations set into narrow trenches that had been dug right into the ground. The micromorphological analysis of the clay used in the foundations showed that it was indeed raw clay to which nothing had been added (Note). It revealed something of utmost importance when it came to understanding the construction technique used by Champlain’s men. The natural clay used has all the characteristics of a local clay, but we know for a fact that it is not. Its stratification is similar to that of natural clay, meaning that "its soil characteristics are almost intact" (Note).

This leads us to conclude that the clay was removed in compact blocks that were subsequently set in the foundation trenches. This was likely done on purpose. The clay found immediately below the old layer of humus had been reworked by ground water to a greater extent, making it less suitable for waterproofing the foundations, so a purer clay was used because it would protect the walls and floors of the dwellings better.

The walls of the buildings were supported by piles set about a metre apart. Unlike cob, which is meant to be supported by a wooden trellis, pisé or rough masonry made of raw clay needs only piles for support (Note). The piles and the rough masonry made of raw clay confirm the use of a very old half-timber construction technique (dating to the neolithic period) consisting of studs or vertical structural members that may be 0.2 to 0.6 m apart, sometimes more, as is the case on Champlain’s farm (1 m). The space may be filled with rough masonry made of clay, as in the buildings in question. This medieval technique is very characteristic of northern France, and becomes less and less common towards the east and south of the country. But it is also found in other regions, namely Belgium, England, Germany and Sweden.

The walls were erected as follows:

The buildings had thatch roofs. Thatch consists of bundles of reeds fastened together and placed on wood laths that were 10 to 20 cm apart, as was done in Normandy. The reeds were sometimes replaced by small tree branches (Note). To make the roof more waterproof, cob was applied to the ridge. Cob is a mixture of clay, a bit of water, and organic, vegetable or animal matter such as straw, rye or horsehair. The fragments of cob found at the site could therefore be from the roofs of the buildings. A thick layer of cob was also frequently applied to ceilings to ensure good insulation.

Knife, 17th century Bone and iron Found at the site of the first farm built at Cap Tourmente Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Photo: Steven Darby, Canadian Museum of Civilization

As previously mentioned, the vestiges of the two dwellings were found at the site. The first had three rooms measuring 2 m by 5 m. The central room, which had a pinewood floor, was probably intended for Nicolas Pivert’s family, who lived on site.

(Click on objects) Found at the site of the first farm built at Cap Tourmente Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Photo: Alain Côté, Parks Canada

There was no trace of the barn-stable Champlain mentioned. However, we found structures that he never referred to: what seems to be a woodshed, an ice house or a cellar that was dug right into the ground, a vegetable garden linked to a drainage system, as well as elements that may be part of a palisade because it seems that the farm was fortified, at least according to Father LeClerq (cited by Benjamin Sulte).

Bowl, 17th century Glazed coarse earthenware Found at the site of the first farm built at Cap Tourmente Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Photo: Steven Darby, Canadian Museum of Civilization

Square Bottle, 17th century Blue greenish glass Made in France Found at the site of the first farm built at Cap Tourmente Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Photo: Alain Côté, Parks Canada

The farm may have been enclosed within a palisade, at least if we can go by what Father LeClerq wrote: "The product of the harvest went to a small mission formed at Cap Tourmente, seven leagues below Quebec, where an advanced fort had been built, not only for protection against the savages, but mainly against the enemies [who came] from Europe" (Note).

A portion of a trench and a pile provide the only indication that the farm may indeed have had a palisade. It is not certain that these vestiges are part of a palisade, although it seems plausible given their shape and location.

It should be noted that, contrary to the orientation of the current house (its long timber frame is oriented east-west, in relation to an arbitrary north), all the buildings and structures on Champlain’s farm were oriented northeast-southwest. In relation to the geographic north, the main façade of the buildings and structures faced east, towards the river.
Theoretically,