“Saint-Helen,” Samuel de Champlain declared, naming an island for his young wife. That island still carries her name today. We are standing before the Hélène-de-Champlain Restaurant. It is a stop on our tour today. Hélène Boullé married Samuel de Champlain in 1610. She was just 12 years old. Champlain was in his thirties. It was not unusual back then.
Champlain met Hélène’s father in 1609. Nicols Boullé was the secretary of Henry IV’s royal chamber. He took an interest in Champlain’s expeditions to New France. Hélène and Samuel married that next year. Three months later Champlain left for New France. He would be away in Montreal.
The motives behind the marriage of Hélène de Champlain are not clear. The couple never lived together for very long. They also never had children. Hélène Boullé entered an Ursuline convent in 1645. This was ten years after Champlain’s death.
Now, let’s travel back to Champlain’s voyage to Hochelaga. From Callière Point, he saw an island. He believed that a good and strong city could be built there. He named it Saint-Helen. It was in honour of his young wife, Hélène Boullé.
Let’s not forget Place Royale. It is visible today in Old Montreal. It is in front of the Old Custom House. Champlain named a point of land “Place-Royale.” This is where de Maisonneuve would build Fort Ville-Marie 30 years later. It is the current location of the Pointe-à-Callière. This is the Montreal Archaeology and History Complex. It was constructed where Montreal was founded. The current Place Royal became Montreal’s most important marketplace in 1676. It was named in 1892 for Montreal’s 250th anniversary.
Hélène-de-Champlain Restaurant is located in Parc Jean-Drapeau. The site has a rich history beyond being a park. Artifacts show that Île Sainte-Hélène was first inhabited by the Saint Lawrence Iroquoians. Later, the Le Moyne family held it. Then the British occupied it as a military complex. Eventually, the federal government owned the island after the Canadian Confederation.
Île Sainte-Hélène became a park in 1874. It was devoted to entertainment and recreation. It had an outstanding natural setting. The park was frequented by hikers, snowshoe clubs, and a swim club. Over 6,000 people celebrated the park’s opening on June 25, 1874. They attended a picnic concert. Visitors took a steamboat to the site before the Jacques Cartier Bridge opened in 1930.
Frederick Gage Todd developed a major plan for the park after the bridge opened. The project included restoring military installations. It also included construction of the Swimmers’ Pavilion, the Hélène-de-Champlain restaurant, and Lévis Tower. The Playgrounds area was built for picnics and sports competitions.
The park reiterated its cultural vocation in the 1950s. It opened a military museum inside the fort. It also opened a theatre in the former powder magazine. Art exhibitions took place in the Hélène-de-Champlain restaurant. This construction work occurred during the Great Depression. Over 1,000 unemployed workers completed the task.
Sadly, the Hélène-de-Champlain restaurant is currently closed for renovations as of 2010. But its name and legacy continue to be known today.