From the web site about the fort: “Three hundred colonists left France to establish a permanent settlement in North America. Included were some of the leading families of France, wearing gilded armor and brightly colored clothes. Other representatives of French society included artisans to provide entertainment and produce drawings, and laborers to build the fort. The desire for permanency was illustrated by the inclusion of women, of whom at least four had husbands.” A full history is told here: https://www.nps.gov/timu/learn/historyculture/foca_history.htm