45 kilometres in length, the Hillsborough River flows from east to west in eastern Prince Edward Island. Flowing from many springs at its source in the Fanning Brook and St. Patrick Road area, it drains into the Atlantic in the bay south of Charlottetown.
The river was designated a Canadian Heritage River in 1997, at which time plaques were placed along its length, this one on the north bank near the small community of Scotchfort, about 20 kilometres east on Highway 2 from Charlottetown.
THE HILLSOROUGH RIVER
The Hillsborough watershed, totaling over 350 square kilometres, is the largest river system on Prince Edward Island. As a river highway, it provides a direct link to our rich human heritage, from the Mi'Kmaq who depended on the river for food and travel to the 1884 meeting of the Fathers of Confederation, to the fishers of today and tomorrow. The Hillsborough also harbours the largest saltwater and freshwater marshlands on Prince Edward Island, providing for a diverse natural heritage. This plaque recognizes the special heritage of the Hillsborough and the commitment of the Hillsborough River Association and local citizens to its preservation. As a Canadian Heritage River, management of the Hillsborough will give national recognition and protection to this important waterway
From the Canadian Heritage Rivers Plaque
Below are some excerpts from the Canadian Heritage Rivers System website.
THE HILLSOROUGH RIVER
The Road Straight Up
Designated 1997
The Hillsborough, named Mimtugaak by the Mi’kmaq, begins on the south shore of the island and winds inland through rich farm country to its source near the white sand beaches of the north shore. For centuries, the Mi’kmaq people fished and camped along its shores.
Europeans settled here in the early 18th century, using the river for transportation and as a major ship building area in the days of sail. For most of its length, the Hillsborough is a tidal estuary with extensive salt marshes – a rich breeding area for thousands of marine birds and other creatures of the land and the sea. The great blue heron is the river’s “statesman”, an ambassador of the serenity found along its shores.
The Hillsborough (East) River is typical of many Prince Edward Island waterways, subject to tidal influences up to 75% of the length of its main stem. Early cartographers observed “not one point of this island is further than 10 miles from tidal influence”. The river flows through the pastoral island landscape often buffered by woodland vegetation.
Geography
The 45 km. Hillsborough River waterway flows east to west draining a 350 sq. km. area, the largest river system (1/15 the land mass) on Prince Edward Island. Flowing from many springs at its source in the Fanning Brook and St. Patrick Road area, the Hillsborough almost splits Prince Edward Island in two. It was an obvious choice as a route linking north and south for each culture that has occupied the area. Evidence of “late paleo-indian” activity of approximately 10,000 years ago occurs at nearby St. Peters Bay.
The lengthy estuary features a “drowned river” corridor which once had a broad flood plain before rising sea levels more permanently submerged the area.
The landscape is flat to gently rolling. The highest watershed point is only 250 feet in an area renowned for its fresh water supply from ground springs. From Charlottetown to Glenfinnan Island is a very wide estuary, narrowing to roughly 1/2 km in width at this 5.6 ha island 10 km from Charlottetown. The river narrows a second time at Mt. Stewart to several metres. Fed by many springs it is only a few metres wide in the Cherry Hill area.
Read more at the Canadian Heritage Rivers System