Bear River, Nova Scotia

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Bear River
L'sɨtkuk
Bear river nova scotia in winter.JPG
Canada Nova Scotia location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Bear River
Location within Nova Scotia
Coordinates: 44°34′35″N65°38′21″W / 44.57639°N 65.63917°W / 44.57639; -65.63917 [1]
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
ProvinceFlag of Nova Scotia.svg Nova Scotia
Municipality Annapolis, Digby
Time zone UTC-4 (AST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-3 (ADT)
Postal code
B0S 1B0
Area code 902
GNBC CodeCACFI [1]

Bear River is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in both Annapolis County and Digby County. The community is situated at the head of the tidewaters of the Bear River, which forms the boundary between the two counties.

Contents

The community is adjacent to the Bear River First Nation which administers the Bear River 6, 6A and 6B reserves.

History

Bear River United Baptist Church BearRiver BaptistChurch.jpg
Bear River United Baptist Church

Originally inhabited by the Mi'kmaq, the area was called L'sɨtkuk [2] , anglicized as "Eelsetkook", meaning "flowing along by high rocks." [3] It was previously called "St. Anthony". It was also named "Imbert", after Simon Imbert, a Frenchman who commanded a relief ship for Port Royal in 1612. [3] The name "Imbert" was gradually corrupted to "Bear". [3] It is also occasionally referred to on maps as "Hillsburgh". This term is believed to be another corruption of "Imbert" or "Hebert", after Louis Hebert, an apothecary who accompanied Samuel de Champlain in 1604. [3]

Bear River was an important shipbuilding location in the late 19th century. One of many large vessels built in the community was the brigantine Dei Gratia , the vessel which discovered the famous mystery ship Mary Celeste in 1872. The climate and soil conditions in the Bear River area are conducive to the growing of grapes and several vineyards have emerged. Bear River was home to the first solar aquatics wastewater management facility in North America; the facility ceased to function when the Municipality of the District of Digby re-routed waste water to the Smith's Cove treatment facility. After a few years of disuse, the community has made it into a community greenhouse. [4] The community is known for its thriving artistic community, the largest per capita in Nova Scotia. [5] There are many artist studios, shops and galleries in the downtown and immediate area. Crafts produced include clothing, woodwork, pottery, quilts, fabric arts, and an assortment of painted media. [6]

The Bear River Board of Trade is the primary organization to pursue economic development and also maintains the waterfront park and Visitor Information Center. The Bear River Historical Society [7] operates the Bear River Heritage Museum which is open through the summer and early fall with displays of historical photos, archival materials and artifacts of the rich history of the area. The Digby County Exhibition is held in Bear River each year.

Notable residents

References

  1. 1 2 "Place names: Bear River". Canadian Geographical Names Database. Natural Resources Canada . Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  2. "About L'sitkuk (Bear River First Nation)". Archived from the original on 2013-10-15. Retrieved 2013-08-21.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Brown, Thomas J. (1922). Place-Names of the Province of Nova Scotia  . Halifax, NS: Royal Print & Litho. p. 17 via Wikisource.
  4. "Bear River Solar Aquatics Waste Water Treatment Plant". www.collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  5. "Bear River Millyard Recreation: Bear River, Nova Scotia www.millyardrecreation.com - Home". millyardrecreation.com.
  6. "Our Location". November 14, 2011.
  7. Bear River History Archived May 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine

Further reading