By Russell LaPlume
The history of the founding of New France glitters with astounding personalities that not only brought the Catholic Faith to a heathen population, but also, it would appear, created from the French colonists a new breed of Frenchman – one who adapted immediately to those immense forests, with great fearlessness and vigor — the Canadians. The names of Cartier, Champlain, and LaSalle are familiar to most students of history, but there is one name forgotten, that stands with or above these intrepid adventurers, that of Charles le Moyne who, along with his famous sons, lived a saga that spanned over a century of Canadian history. Unlike Cartier and Champlain, there is little history written about this fantastic family, most of it coming from oral tradition, but there is no doubt that they were considered a legend in their own time – loved and feared by the savages, loved and depended on by the colonists.
