The Great Secret of Kebec
In the vaulted cave
Description
Elevator doors open in the vaulted cave, in the ramparts surrounding Québec City. It is dark and three doors give access to three different eras: 1663, 1665, and 1759.
You pick up the card money. The first door is half-open and you go through it.
Card money
The administration of New France needon the arrival of cash from France in order to pay civil servants, suppliers, soldiers and clerks. Confusion set in if the ship did not arrive until the end of the season, and even more if it did not come at all. In 1685 Intendant Demeulle created a type of paper money with the purpose of meeting these expenses. He printed various face values on playing cards and affixed his seal to them. When the king’s ship arrived, he redeemed this "card money" in cash.
The market
Description
The door opens to the public square. There is a blacksmith’s shop for the repair of various items (tools, farming equipment, etc.). In the bakery window can be seen a warm loaf of bread.
A young woman speaks to you as soon as you enter the market.
Dialogue
Young woman
"You’ll be happy here, stranger... and safe and sound too! Not only do we have the fort in Upper Town, but soon we will also have fortifications to protect us. In any case, we will be self-sufficient within the ramparts. All these goods will be available to the population with the money they’re earned through their hard labour, and if they are short on cash, they can trade with furs and other goods."
Loaf of bread
"Each morning, I fill the city with a sweet aroma that brings back memories of France for everyone here. This is a city that has a sense of tradition, but it also looks toward the future. It is quickly becoming a modern city. Run to the battlefield. In exchange for a piece of bread, the crow will take you to the object of your quest."
Filles du roi
Women of marriageable age who were shipped to New France under royal auspices from 1663-73. The French state and religious communities had to rectify the imbalance of the sexes in the colonies. In Canada’s case, although women began crossing in the 1630s, only the approximately 800 who disembarked during the first 11 years of royal government are commonly referred to as the filles du roi. Equipped with a trousseau and in some cases a small dowry, almost all found husbands quickly.
The heating-forge
The metalworkers who settled in the towns and countryside during the French Regime included locksmiths, gunsmiths, nailsmiths, cutlers, edge-tool makers and farriers. They mostly repaired arms and tools in the forts and trading posts, to which could be added all items involved in ironwork and other hardware needed for daily life.
Bakery
In early Canada, bread was produced in bread ovens in the home. As communities appeared, small bakeries were established to supply village needs.
Horse
The horse was introduced to New France in 1636 by Governor Montmagny. Afterwards, King Louis XIV sent about a dozen horses. From 1665 to 1763, the horse population in New France went from a few to over 10,000. Until the end of the French Regime in 1760, the horses, sent by France, were the only ones to be raised in the colony.
In the vaulted cave
Description
Then you return to the vaulted cave and enter the door to 1759.
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, September 13, 1759
Description
You come out over the ramparts with a view of the Plains of Abraham, where you can see three French cannons. Near a cannon, a crow is waiting for you.
You give him your bread, and can then collect the cannon, which will give you access to Jean Talon’s office.
Dialogue
Small French cannon
"Five years of war and then BOOM! In 15 minutes, it was all over. They took us by surprise by anchoring farther up the river and then surprising us from behind. Faced with 29,000 armed men, Montcalm couldn’t do very much! Although we blasted our cannonballs, both generals died on the battlefield."
Near a cannon, a crow is waiting for you.
Crow
"I’ve flown over so many tragedies and wars in my life. In the heat of battle, death spouts from the mouth of this formidable beast of steel. If you want to show it to Jean Talon to prove that the threats of invasion of this area were serious, give me what you have!"
You give him your bread, and then you head back to the vaulted cave.
Plains of Abraham
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham took place on September 13, 1759, at the gates of Québec City on a tract of land that is thought to have been named after Abraham Martin. A powerful British force under Major-General James Wolfe was sent up the St. Lawrence to capture the city. The French attack was stalled by British infantry fire, and the French retreated in a confused state. Both Wolfe and Montcalm were mortally wounded. Québec City surrendered on September 18, 1759.
French military
The French army was under the command of the military officer Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, (Candiac, France, February 28, 1712 - Québec City, September 14, 1759). He arrived in Québec City on May 13, 1756. On October 20, 1758, he was appointed lieutenant-general, the second-highest rank in the French army. In 1759, the English army made it to Québec City, and on the morning of September 13, Montcalm hastily rushed his troops into battle. He received a mortal wound from which he died the next morning.
British military
James Wolfe, British army officer, commander of the British expedition that took Québec City in 1759 (born at Westerham, England January 2, 1727 or 1728; died at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham on September 13, 1759). One of the legendary figures of Canadian history, Wolfe has become known as the man whose defeat of Montcalm in 1759 marked the beginning of British rule in Canada.
French cannon
However, 1759 was not the first time the English and the French fought in battle at Québec City. In 1690, New France and New England were in conflict. On October 16, 1690, English battleships were anchored in front of the city. A messenger was sent to demand Governor Frontenac to surrender the colony. To that, Frontenac uttered his famous reply, which remains etched in the country’s history: "I have no reply to make to your general other than from the mouths of my cannons and muskets!"
In the vaulted cave
Description
You return to the vaulted cave under the ramparts surrounding Québec City. You enter the door to 1665.
Jean Talon’s office
Description
You are in Jean Talon’s office, which looks like a businessman’s office in this era. Jean Talon is sitting at his desk, and speaks to you.
Dialogue
Jean Talon
"At the time I arrived, there were only 4300 souls here. But my idea to have the filles du roi brought here yielded results. Most of the girls married days after they got off the boat. I also did what was needed to give work to the men. This cannon you have shown to me proves that my plan may have been a bit too successful! By developing the wealth of the land, we have attracted the attention (and greed) of the English!"
Jean Talon
Jean Talon (birth at Chalons-sur-Marne, France, January 8, 1625 or 1626; died in France on November 24, 1694), Intendant of New France from 1665 to 1668 and from 1669 to 1672, was a determined, energetic and imaginative servant of the king and his minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert.
Shipbuilding
The first seagoing vessel was built in Québec City in 1663. Intendant Hocquart mobilized this industry by establishing a royal navy shipyard on the St. Charles River in 1739, making Québec City a branch of the Rochefort arsenal.
End OF phase 3
Congratulations! You have completed the third phase of your noble quest.
French canon: Celebrations will replace war
To review the historical facts you have learned so far, don’t forget to check the book.
To find out more about "The Great Secret of Kebec", go to phase 4.
