The Battle of Winter Along the St. Lawrence Valley and in the Rest of Canada from 1760 to 1900

  Soon after the fall of New France (1534-1760, 1763) under French King Louis XV to the British Empire (English King George II and George III), more than 65,000 French Canadians were left under new rule along the shores of the St. Lawrence River towards the end of the 18th century and the early 19th century. For the ex-French colony, winter, snow and cold did not get easier after the battle on the Plains of Abraham around Quebec City (13 September 1759). This article looks at how the French colony, now under British government that led to the foundation of Lower Canada (1791-1841) and Upper Canada (1791-1841) and later Canada (1867), developed ingenious strategies to endure winter along what is called the snowiest valley in the world (The St. Lawrence Valley in Eastern Canada), considering its population (now more than 8 million), latitude (±45̊ N) and the nature of the climate (type Dfb; a continental temperate climate according to Köppen’s World Climate Classification or type 23C; a moderate, fairly wet continental climate from Litynski’s World Numerical Climate Classification). (KEYWORDS: Cold, snow, winter, Canada, St. Lawrence Valley, 1760-1900).