Étienne Brûlé

Who was Étienne Brûlé?

Étienne Brûlé was the first European explorer to journey beyond the St. Lawrence River in what is today Canada. Taking the lifestyle of the First Nations peoples, particularly the Hurons, Brûlé became an interpreter and guide for Samuel de Champlain, who later sent Brûlé on a number of exploratory missions. Among his many travels were explorations of Georgian Bay and Lake Huron, as well as the Humber River watershed in today's Toronto. In 1629, during the Anglo-French War, he betrayed his friend and patron. Not long after, Brûlé was killed by the Bear tribe of the Huron people.