The winter of 1604 that trapped French colonists on Passamaquoddy sacred ground

The French Colony’s Deadly Winter at Muttoneguis

The Passamaquoddy called it “Muttoneguis” – a food storage haven they’d used for thousands of years. Then in 1604, Pierre Dugua showed up with 79 French colonists who knew nothing about the harsh Maine winters.

The newcomers built a settlement and traded with local tribes for meat and furs. But winter hit hard.

Ice trapped the French, and scurvy killed 35 settlers. By March, the Passamaquoddy stepped in, trading game that saved the survivors’ lives.

This first encounter on Saint Croix Island began a complex relationship that shaped both cultures. Today, the bronze sculptures along Wonessonuk Trail bring this remarkable survival story to life.

Passamaquoddy People Used Saint Croix Island for Thousands of Years

The Passamaquoddy called Saint Croix Island “Muttoneguis” and used it for about 3,000 years to store food away from mainland animals.

People lived in the Bay of Fundy region as far back as 11,000 years ago, with folks using the island around 5,000 years ago.

By 2,500 years ago, Passamaquoddy Bay became a busy area where ancestors of today’s Passamaquoddy First Nation enjoyed one of the richest coastlines in the world.

The island was part of a network of rivers and paths linking the Bay of Fundy to inland waters.

Sea Hunters Followed the Seasons for Thousands of Years

The Passamaquoddy moved with the seasons, living in small groups during winter and large villages in summer. They hunted seals, porpoise, and fish using skin boats made for coastal waters.

When not hunting, they gathered clams along the shores and made sugar from maple trees in early spring.

Their birchbark technology included homes they could move, canoes for travel, storage containers, and snowshoes and toboggans for winter travel.

French Ships Sailed Into Passamaquoddy Waters in Summer 1604

Pierre Dugua arrived with 79 French colonists on five ships at Passamaquoddy Bay on June 26, 1604. The French saw where two rivers met and thought it looked like a cross, so they called the island “Île Sainte-Croix.”

Dugua came with King Henry IV’s permission to control the fur trade and start colonies in the region. Samuel Champlain worked as the mapmaker and wrote everything he saw in his journals.

Local Tribes Welcomed and Traded with the Newcomers

A small group of Etechemin (ancestors of today’s Passamaquoddy) helped guide the French ships into the bay. The local people brought fresh meat and furs to trade for European tools and goods.

Champlain wrote that Indigenous people set up camp on a small hill at the southern end of the island during that first summer.

Some Passamaquoddy even worked in the kitchens of the French settlement during those early months.

Summer Building Gave French False Hope

The French built 19 wooden buildings on the small island, including houses, a storehouse, kitchen, chapel, and windmill. They cleared land, planted gardens, dug a well, and got ready to stay.

They picked the island because it seemed easy to defend against Portuguese or British ships.

The French thought the winter would be like France since the island sat at about the same latitude, but they got this very wrong.

Winter Trapped the Unprepared Colonists

Snow started falling on October 6, 1604, much earlier than the French expected, and stayed waist-deep until late April. By December 3, ice filled the Saint Croix River, cutting the settlers off from the mainland.

The freshwater source on the island froze solid, and they ran out of firewood after using trees to build their settlement.

Cold north winds blew across the exposed island while the colonists slowly realized they were in serious trouble.

Deadly Disease Swept Through the Settlement

With no fresh food left, the French ate salted meat, which caused scurvy from lack of vitamin C. Their gums bled, spots appeared on their skin, their limbs hurt terribly, and they couldn’t fight off other sicknesses.

By February 1605, many colonists got very sick as the disease spread through their crowded living space. Thirty-five of the original 79 French settlers died that winter and were buried on the island.

Native Knowledge Could Have Saved Many Lives

The Passamaquoddy knew how to handle the harsh Northeast winters through years of experience.

Unlike the French who stayed on the exposed island, the Indigenous people moved to protected inland hunting grounds for winter. The French either ignored or failed to learn from Passamaquoddy winter survival skills.

The Europeans stuck to their own ways rather than using Indigenous strategies that worked in this environment.

Spring Brought Passamaquoddy Help to Dying Frenchmen

When the ice started breaking up in March 1605, the Passamaquoddy came back to the island area and found the French in terrible shape. They brought fresh game, water, and other supplies the desperate survivors needed.

The Passamaquoddy traded venison and other fresh meat to the colonists for bread and European goods. This timely help saved lives and helped the remaining 44 French settlers recover their health by May 1605.

The French Packed Up and Left the Island Behind

Supply ships came back from France in June 1605 with more colonists and supplies. After seeing how many people died during the winter, Dugua decided to move the entire settlement.

Champlain had explored the coastline during the previous year and found a better spot at Port Royal across the Bay of Fundy.

The French moved to this Nova Scotia location in summer 1605, where they set up the more successful Port Royal Habitation.

Two Worlds Collided on a Tiny Island

The Saint Croix experience taught the French important lessons about North American climate and the value of Indigenous knowledge.

The encounter showed both the Passamaquoddy’s generosity toward strangers and their deep understanding of the environment they’d lived in for thousands of years.

This settlement marked the beginning of a lasting French presence in North America, leading to the founding of Quebec in 1608.

The cultural collision on Saint Croix Island highlighted the vast differences between European colonial assumptions and Indigenous realities.

Visiting Saint Croix Island International Historic Site, Maine

Saint Croix Island International Historic Site at 84 Saint Croix Drive in Calais tells the story of when 79 French settlers met the Passamaquoddy people in 1604. There’s no admission fee for the visitor center or grounds.

Walk the 300-foot trail with a bronze model of the French settlement and listen to audio in English, French, or Passamaquoddy.

The viewing shelter gives you panoramic views of the island where this historic encounter happened.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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