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Beginning with Samuel de Champlain's expedition into the Lake Champlain valley in 1609, the Plattsburgh region began to come under the French influence, and later passed under British, and finally American control. The early French contact and its proximity to Quebec made this a historically French area. Located in the extended fur trade network in the Montreal hinterland, the Plattsburgh area was the realm of independent fur traders, known as coureurs des bois ("runners of the woods") in French, who served the larger trading hub in Montreal. [ citation needed ] Although Plattsburgh is a relatively new city, the surrounding area was settled during the mid-to-late 17th century. A permanent French settlement was hampered by the threat of conflict with the Iroquois, but French missionaries began living among the indigenous population as early as 1609.