During the seventeenth century, military officers, wealthy gentlemen and Catholic orders would request a large parcel of New France land. Soldiers, men who had served as contract labor and others might, in turn, ask for a small piece of this land to farm. Usually, this section of land was shaped like a long narrow ribbon of land with the front edge bordering on a river. As there were virtually no roads in the early days of New France, freight and people were moved by boat during the warmer months. In the winter, horse drawn sleighs used the rivers as frozen highways. The habitants (farmers) would clear the land closest to the river and grow wheat and other grain crops. The back of the farm was usually forest that could be cut to build homes and boats. In addition, many cords of firewood wer needed each year for cooking and heating their homes. The habitants would pay a few coins rent each year as well as a share of their crops and a portion of their livestock to the owner of the land.The owner, in turn, was expected to pay for the construction of a wind mill. The wind mill was used to grind the habitants' wheat and rye into flour. A portion of the flour was paid to the miller for his services.This windmill dates back to the 1830s and is located on the island of Ile aux Coudres
