 Quebec City is one of North America's most historic and beautiful cities. Named after the Indian Algonquian word Kebec, it means the narrowing of the waters. Quebec City is where the St. Charles and St. Lawrence Rivers meet. The mighty St. Lawrence-only one kilometer wide here-was a flow of jigsaw puzzle like thaw ice during our late winter-early spring visit. Past Quebec City, the river widens considerably before it empties into the Atlantic 800 miles distant.
When French explorer Jacques Cartier came in 1535,only 100 natives lived along these banks. In 1608 Samuel de Champlain, another French explorer, set up a trading post. Quebec City quickly became the hub of New France. Vying interests from the Indian, British and upstart new Americans to the south, led Quebec City to being titled the "Gibraltar of Canada." It was besieged over six times.
British threats led the French to start building a medieval castle type wall around the natural promontory and rock terrain. In 1759, the British overtook the city in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Soon after, they built a citadel and a network of Martello towers-fully completed in 1832-to repel a 1775 attack by American generals Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold. It is the only citadel-city in North America to have preserved its fortifications. Quebec City became the capital of Canada's new Quebec Province in 1867. Though English traditions survive, Quebec City residents remain fiercely loyal to their francophone roots. |
