Reconstructing the First French Settlement in North AmericaPauline LaBelle, Geography-Anthropology Department, University of Southern Maine

Faculty Mentor: Firooza Pavri, Geography-Anthropology, University of Southern Maine

Overview of St. Croix Island

Historical Heritage & Its Significance

Risk Factors & Protection

Building a 3D Model in ArcGIS Conclusion

Culmination of Materials

Modeling a settlement that left little to no remnants can be challenging and rewarding. That was certainly the case with Saint Croix Island. When Dugua and his team relocated to Port-Royal, they recycled as much material as possible. With no visible present-day structures, knowledge of the time period and culture was vital. Historical manuscripts were used to provide key details such as arrangement of living quarters. Dugua and his men transported brick as well as pre-fabricated frames aboard their ships and wood was locally harvested. As an International Historic Site, previous excavations were conducted. Their research was cross-referenced with satellite imagery of the island (Fig. 1) and maps (Fig. 2). This aided in placement of buildings, crops, and walkways. With sufficient information obtained, it was time to create a virtual replica of what their outpost may have looked like in 1604 according to Champlain (Fig. 2).

In April of 1604, French pioneers sailed up the Saint Croix River on the Don de Dieuand Bonne Renommée. Upon arrival to the quaint island, 79 men disembarked on the rocky coast, sandy beaches, and fertile soil.

Under the leadership of Huguenot Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons and a young lieutenant Samuel de Champlain, they were tasked with exploring areas of Acadia. The team constructed an outpost on the island as planned. Champlain’s 1613 map of the buildings shows houses, a main hall, kitchen, church, and other buildings were constructed (Fig. 2). Gardens had been cleared and planted. It had all the appeal of a quaint village, but would soon take a turn for the worst when an early October winter arrived.

The area was surrounded by multitudes of ice and fierce weather conditions set in place by the Little Ice Age. Over the following months, 35 of Dugua’s team perished from afflictions described as scurvy and more than twenty were gravely ill. The deceased were buried in a small cemetery on the island.

When spring arrived, survivors traded game for bread with members of a local Passamaquoddy tribe. The exchange improved their health and allowed their ventures to continue. Dugua directed their relocation to the mainland in what is now Port-Royal, Nova Scotia. Dugua was commemorated in 2004 (Fig. 4).

Figure 1 Aerial view of St. Croix Island, Maine(Google Earth imagery, Sept. 8, 2014)

LocationBoundary of Maine and Canada in the Passamaquoddy Bay situated at 45°7’42”North, 67°8’0” West

Dimensions of Island24,281 m2

17.5 m elevation

Historic SignificanceFirst French North American Settlement

Preservation StatusInternational Historic Site

ManagementU.S. National Park Service andParks Canada

CollaborationMaine Passamaquoddy Tribe

The island and its vicinity have been identified as susceptible to erosion and sea-level rise. Geological assessments noted vast land reduction, particularly when compared to Champlain’s depictions. Additionally, nature’s impact was witnessed as the remains of settlers who perished washed into the river, never to be found. The area where the site was built is guarded by elevation, a rocky shoreline, and proximity from incoming storm surges. The most susceptible zone –the southern shoal – is absent of substantial rock formations or sea grass to guard it (Fig 3). The U.S. National Park Service and Parks Canada have joined efforts to maintain its integrity against further loss.

There are three primary applications within the ArcGIS suite that were used to model a replica settlement. These are ArcCatalog, ArcMap, and ArcScene.

ArcCatalog

As with any project, organization from the beginning was essential for work flow. Folders were created on the hard drive and a File Geodatabase was set up to store data. An initial count of building types and land cover was performed and Feature Classes were created for each. In total, 10 Multipoint feature classes for buildings, 4 for trees and shrubs, 1 Line for the fence, and 1 Polygon for the garden were created.

Sources & Materials

Archaeological analysis using 3D technology offers a unique viewpoint. The reconstruction of Saint Croix Island yielded a greater sense of what their outpost looked like through Champlain’s eyes and which areas require interception from environmental and geographical changes.

The adoption of 3D is growing across a broad spectrum of governments, institutions, and commercial sectors. Its potential is continuously broadening, making GIS a desirable method for expanding our understanding of the past and present world.

Firooza Pavri, Associate Professor of Geography, Geography-Anthropology Chair; Margaret Scheid, Site Manager for Saint Croix Island, National Park Service; Nathan Hamilton, Professor of Archaeology, University of S. Maine; Steven R. Pendery; Maine Archaeological Society; Parks Canada; ESRI; Maine Geological Survey; Canada Post; Bedford Institute of Oceanography.

Poster completed in fulfillment of the requirements for Independent Study

Acknowledgements

Figure 2 Left: 1613 Map of Saint Croix Island, Maine by Samuel de Champlain (Maine Historic Preservation Commission) Center: ArcScene model Right: Scaled layout according to Champlain’s map (Maine Historic Preservation Commission)

ArcMap

LiDAR provided the base terrain that would lift this island from a 2-dimensional plane into an accurate representation of its elevation. Downloaded as a LAS file, it was imported into ArcMap and converted to a workable TIN format. Next, images such as Champlain’s map were added and georeferenced to the location of the settlement on the north side of the island. With all layers in place, Lines, Multipoints, and Polygons were edited to mark where features would appear. For example, a single dot would represent one tree or housing complex (Fig. 5).

ArcScene

It was time to render the 3D model. Each document and layer was imported from ArcMap into ArcScene. They were individually set to use the TIN as a Base Height. Textures and markers were selected in the options turning Polygons into extruded crops, Multipoints into trees and houses, and the Line into a Fence. Appropriate adjustments were made to sizes, colors, and positions. Finally, the TIN classes were given textures to create the grass, shoreline, and water relative to elevation.

Figure 5: Creating features in ArcMap using Points, Lines, and Polygons stored in a Geodatabase.

Completion of the Virtual French Settlement

Figure 4 The 400th

anniversary stamp celebrating Dugua

(Canada Post)

Figure 3 Top: ArcScene Digital Elevation Model Bottom: View of profile from its southern shoal