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 Saint John River - New Brunswick, Canada Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 45° 57.960 W 066° 39.302
19T E 681685 N 5092943
Not quite as important economically as it has been in the past, the Saint John River continues to flow through Fredericton, oblivious of its declining importance to the city's well being.
Waymark Code: WMQYY2
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
Date Posted: 04/17/2016
Views: 12
Not only is the Saint John River a Municipal Heritage Site, it is also a Canadian Heritage River, as exemplified by the Canadian Heritage River Systems plaque, text from which is reproduced below. Coordinates, incidentally, are at that plaque, which stands beside the South Riverfront Trail just northeast of the Old Government House on Woodstock Road.
Though a City of Fredericton Heritage Site, the river is equally important to the heritage and history of the province as a whole. It was used by the Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) for millennia as both a food source and transportation route. When the area was settled by Europeans, they found the river as indispensable to their lives as did the Wolastoqiyik before them.
ST. JOHN RIVER
The historic St. John River flows 400 km. through New Brunswick. Known as the Wolastoq, 'the good and bountiful river', by the First Nations peoples who have inhabited this territory for many millennia, this waterway has been a vital transportation and communication route and was instrumental in the development of Canada as a nation. The St. John River has played a prominent role in settlement patterns, military actions and the movement of people, goods and ideas over time. Designation of the St. John as a Canadian Heritage River is a testament to its natural and cultural significance and will ensure stewardship of the waterway for generations to come.
From the Canadian Heritage Rivers Plaque
Saint John River
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
This designation includes the portion of the Saint John River bounded by the eastern and western limits of the City of Fredericton and extending from the south shore to the high water mark on the northern bank of the river. It includes the portion of the riverbed granted to the City of Fredericton by the 1848 Act of Incorporation. This bend in the Saint John River includes a significant confluence with the Nashwaak River.
HERITAGE VALUE
A pivotal waterway in the province, the Saint John River is embedded with considerable heritage value, including its association for millennia with First Nations Peoples. The Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) named the River “Wolastoq”, meaning “beautiful river.” The presence of the “people of the beautiful river” endured even in the midst of French, British and American colonization efforts.
This portion of the Saint John River also has value in its association with post-contact settlement and military history. The quest for control of the Saint John River Valley began in the late 17th century. Joseph Robineau de Villebon, Governor of Acadia, began the construction of Fort St. Joseph, more commonly known as Fort Nashwaak, at the mouth of the Nashwaak in 1691. The garrison deflected an attack upon the Fort by New Englanders in 1696, but Fort Nashwaak was dismantled shortly after Villebon’s death in 1700.
In 1758, Colonel Robert Monckton initiated the Saint John River Campaign in which the British burned all the Acadian villages along the river. The thriving town at St. Ann’s Point (later Fredericton) was burned in February 1759, and at the conclusion of the Saint John River Campaign, the area came under British control.
The ebb and flow of the economy of this area would remain tied to the river through the establishment of trading posts. Inland settlement was only made possible by the navigable waters of the Saint John River, and with the arrival of the Loyalists at St. Ann’s Point in 1783, the river became a hub of activity. The river also helped shape the layout of the City of Fredericton. In 1827, an Act of the Legislature established eleven public landings along Fredericton’s shoreline. In order to provide access to the public landings, Fredericton streets were extended to the river bank. The connection and dependence upon the river spawned such local industries as shipbuilding. The portion of the riverbed that runs along the municipal boundary was granted to the City of Fredericton as part of its Act of Incorporation in 1848.
The remnants of river-crossing structures, its former use as a source of domestic drinking water, the rise and fall of ferry services and the shipbuilding industry, as well as the ever-present threat of flooding reflect the dynamic way in which this portion of the Saint John River shaped the City of Fredericton and characterized its citizens.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
- the portion of the riverbed granted to the City of Fredericton through its 1848 Act of Incorporation;
- its association with First Nations Peoples spanning millennia, including known and potential archaeological resources;
- its role in facilitating inland settlement;
- its primary role in trade and navigation;
- the three bridges which connect opposite shores, including the visible piers of the former Carleton Street Bridge;
- sites of former ferry landings.
From Historic Places Canada
WILD: no
Number of WILD miles: 25
SCENIC: yes
Number of SCENIC miles: All
RECREATIONAL: yes
Number of RECREATIONAL miles: All
River Link: [Web Link]
Support documentation: Not listed
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