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Historical Values
Aboriginal Settlements
on the Petitcodiac River
Pet-Kout-Koy-ek,
one of several original versions of the name now written as Petitcodiac
and otherwise meaning 'the river that bends like a bow', is home
to the native Micmac people represented today in the region by
the Fort Folly First Nation.
The most important
aboriginal settlements on the Petitcodiac River were situated
at Beaumont near the mouth of the river and in th region of the
present-day village of Salisbury where the Micmacs had established
an important winter camp. Several burial sites exist along the
Petitcodiac River but remain unmarked, the only exception being
at Beaumont, the site of an Indian reserve cemetery dating back
to the 1800's.
Historic Transportation
Route
 The
Petitcodiac River was an ancient transport route for the Micmacs.
Riding a 13 km per hour tide, a native leaving Beaumont (a Micmac
camp on the Lower Petitcodiac) could cover large distances on
the river with less effort, reaching the area today known as the
village of Petitcodiac, some 60 km up river. Once they landed,
a five to six km portage brought the Micmacs to the Kennebecasis
River, which flows into the Saint John River.
A more important
portage left the Petitcodiac River about three km south of the
present day village of Petitcodiac. From here, a 24-km portage
would take the Micmac travelers to the Washademoak River, today
known as the Canaan River. From this river they could reach Washademoak
Lake and then canoe to the Saint John River. Leaving the Saint
John, the Micmacs would portage around Grand Falls, take the Madawaska
River, reach Notre-Dame-du-Lac, and Rivière-du-Loup, and
finally make their way to the mighty St. Lawrence River.
The national importance
of the portage from the Petitcodiac to the Washademoak was
recognized in 1937, when the Historic Sites and Monument Board
of Canada erected a cairn as a monument near the village of Petitcodiac.
The inscription on the plaque reads as follows:
Prehistoric
Indian Portage
The ancient route
later used by the French from Acadia to the Upper Saint John
and Quebec left the Petitcodiac near this point, crossed to North
River
and continued to the Washademoak Canaan River.
The Acadian
Dyke Systems
The first Acadian
settlements in the region were established around 1698 on the
Shepody River. The rivers of Memramcook and Petitcodiac followed
the same settlement patterns soon afterwards, bringing in Acadian
emigrants from the established regions of Nova Scotia. The region
became known in the 1700's as 'Trois-Rivières', making
reference to the three-river system of the Petitcodiac, the Memramcook
and the Shepody. The settlers dreamed of finding new marshlands
to cultivate, and a life removed from the control of the colonial
powers of the day, England and France.
The Acadians
built extensive dike systems and aboiteaux along the Shepody,
Memramcook and Petitcodiac Rivers, in order to convert salt-water
marshes into some of the most fertile agricultural land in North
America. This engineering and agricultural feat was recognized
by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada to be of
national importance in 1998. Plans are in the works to have this
theme interpreted by Parks Canada, including a site to be situated
in the Memramcook Valley on the Petitcodiac River system.
Battle on the Petitcodiac
River
In August 1755
began the darkest period in the history of Acadia, a seven-year
war that saw the Deportation of the Acadians from their homeland
in present-day New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
The region of the Petitcodiac River, where about a thousand Acadians
lived was severely affected by these events.
An important
battle took place near the present day village of Hillsborough
on the lower Petitcodiac River, in the early days of September,
1755. A cairn placed there by the Historic Sites and Monuments
Board of Canada in 1937 recognizes the importance of the events
that took place.
English troops
under the regional command of Lieutenant-Colonel Monckton, encircled
the village under orders to burn the establishment and to bring
into custody any Acadians found on site. A group of fighters
made up of Acadians and Micmacs, under the command of a French
army officer, organized an ambush that proved disastrous for
the English troops. Being caught off-guard and unable to reach
their ships awaiting farther off shore, it being low tide, 24
English soldiers lost their lives on that day and 11 others lay
wounded.
The Battle at
Hillsborough in early September of 1755 was followed, a few weeks
later by the first expulsion of Acadians from Fort Beauséjour,
situated nearby in Cumberland Basin. Resistance endured on the
Petitcodiac River until 1759, led by a group of Acadians located
on the upper Petitcodiac River near the present-day village of
Salisbury. Local historians believe that the determination of
these Acadians and their spirit of resistance made it possible
for the Acadian community in southeastern New Brunswick to survive
and prosper many generations thereafter.
The Acadian Odyssey
The region of
the Petitcodiac River system played a significant role in the
survival and the later emancipation of the Acadian community.
Out of three remaining settlements dating back to colonial Acadia
and still populated by Acadians, two are located in this region,
Memramcook and Dieppe formerly Petcoudiac (the other is
in southwestern Nova Scotia). In 1976, the Historic Sites and
Monuments Board of Canada recognized the national significance
of the Survival of the Acadians and the Acadian Odyssey, choosing
the Memramcook Valley for the interpretation of this theme.
The inscription
on the commemorative plaque in Memramcook reads as follows:
The Acadian
Odyssey
Despite the
deportations of the 1750's and 1760's, many Acadians returned
from exile and others came out of hiding to resume their former
way of life. With fortitude and determination, they created new
settlements in isolated parts of the Maritimes and gradually
re-established their own social and cultural institutions. Many
Acadian leaders were educated here at Collège Saint-Joseph,
founded in 1864. On this site in 1881 was held the first Acadian
National Convention which brought thousands of Acadians together
for the first time and helped to strengthen their sense of identity.
The Acadian community
continues today on its odyssey of rebirth: Moncton, the city
at the bend of the Petitcodiac, hosted the Francophonie Summit
in 1999.
Pennsylvania 'Dutch'
Settlers
In the years following
the English French war of the 1750's and 1760's, new settlements
emerged along the Petitcodiac River system, the most significant
being located in present day Moncton and Hillsborough. A site
in Moncton, known in those days as The Bend, saw the arrival in
1766 of a group of new settlers of German origin from the American
colony of Pennsylvania, and known as the Pennsylvania 'Dutch'.
The group, bearing
the family names of Summers, Miller, Jones, Stief (Steeves), Criner,
Lutz (Lutes), Cline, Lentz and Trites were later termed by historians
the « permanent settlers » of the new township of
Moncton.
The Prince Lewis
House, located at Moncton's Bore Park on the banks of the Petitcodiac
River, is believed to be the region's oldest structure, dating
back to the late 1700's, and is now the focus of a community restoration
project. A heart carved in wood over an interior door in the house,
a traditional German symbol of marriage, is thought to have been
carved around 1778 and is a critical piece of this historical
puzzle. In 1999, the house was recognized as a Heritage Site by
the province of New Brunswick.
Shipbuilding Industry
 During
the 1850's, the Petitcodiac River region, like other regions in
the Maritimes, gave rise to an important shipbuilding industry.
Led by
businessman Joseph Salter, who later became Moncton's first mayor,
the region built large three-mast ships which sailed the world's
oceans. Relics of the historical wharves dating back to
this era still line portions of the riverfront in Moncton. Other
shipbuilding centers on the Petitcodiac River included Salisbury,
Hopewell Cape, Dorchester and Harvey Bank.
In 1997, the Historic
Sites and Monuments Board of Canada recognized the national importance
of the shipbuilding industry in New Brunswick. Plans are in the
works to commemorate this achievement, likely somewhere along
the Bay of Fundy (Saint John, St. Martin's).
Grindstone Island and
the Sandstone Industry
From the mid
1800's to the latter part of the century, a stone cutting industry
flourished on the lower Petitcodiac River and in Shepody Bay,
with the main centers being Grindstone Island, Rockport, and
Beaumont. Sandstone of superior quality was cut from this region
and shipped to large eastern seaboard centers such as New York
and Boston. Many fine buildings built from Petitcodiac River
sandstone still stand in these cities today.
Covered Bridges
 New
Brunswick is known internationally for its wooden covered bridges
dating back to the early 1900's. Out of a total of 65 covered
bridges remaining in New Brunswick today, 10 are situated in the
Petitcodiac
River system: Petitcodiac River, Memramcook River, Shepody River,
Coverdale, William Mitton, Crooked Creek, Saw Mill Creek, Turtle
Creek, Weldon Creek, and Bull Creek.
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