St. Croix River (Nova Scotia)

Last updated
St. Croix River
StCroixRiver NewMinasHydro.jpg
St. Croix River (lower dam at St Croix)
Location
Country Canada
Province Nova Scotia
Physical characteristics
Source 
  locationLake Panuke
Mouth  
  location
Confluence with the Avon River
  elevation
sea level
Length34 km (21 mi)
Basin size1,368 km2 (528 sq mi) [1]
Basin features
Progression Avon RiverMinas BasinBay of Fundy

The St. Croix River is a river in Nova Scotia entirely contained in Hants and Halifax Counties. Its headwaters are Panuke Lake. The river has been exploited for water power. There were water mills in the nineteenth century [2] and in the 1930s three hydroelectric dams were built; they still operate.

Contents

The lower reaches of the St. Croix are tidal. There is a wide flood plain where the river has cut through limestone bedrock now exposed as white cliffs. The calcareous soil harbours the rare Rams Head Lady Slipper. [3]

The Nova Scotia Government estimates that the number of people living within the St. Croix watershed numbered 19,233 in 2011. [4]

History

The river and (Panuk - Mi’kmaw Village) Panuke Lake (was once a river frequented by spawning salmon before it was dammed, displacing the Indigenous peoples) were used as an important portage route first by the Mi'kmaq and later by European explorers and settlers. There is an unpopulated Indian reserve (St Croix Indian Reserve) on the lake.

Meandering lower tidal reaches of the St. Croix LowerStCroixRiverNS.jpg
Meandering lower tidal reaches of the St. Croix

European settlement began with the Acadians (who named the river, calling the region Pisiguit). [5]

The Battle at St Croix (1750)

The Battle at St. Croix happened between New England Rangers and the Mi'kmaq. To capture the Acadians involved in the British defeat at the Fort Logis, Grand Pre the previous year, Cornwallis sent John Gorham (military officer) to Piziquid to construct Fort Edward (Nova Scotia) and imprison the Acadians. After two days of marching from Fort Sackville (present day Bedford), they come to the St Croix River. At the river a battle broke out with the Mi'kmaq. Gorham took over a saw mill and two local Acadian homes for protection. The Mi'kmaq numbers continued to grow, therefore Gorham sent a messenger to Fort Sackville for reinforcements, which ended the battle. After the Expulsion of the Acadians, New England Planters settled the area. Extensive land grants were let by the Nova Scotia colonial government beginning in 1761. [6]

Today, the St. Croix is a popular river for canoe and kayaking enthusiasts. [7] The lower floodplains are dyked and farmed. The river's tidal bore may be viewed at Tidal View Farm.

2023 Flood

On July 21 and 22, 2023, Nova Scotia received over 250+ millimeters of rain in less than an 8 hour period, leading to many rivers in the province to a 100-year flood. The water along the St. Croix rose so high that the dam began to breach, prompting the evacuation of everyone residing along the St. Croix River on the morning of the 22nd with fears the dam may have broke, but evacuation orders were rescinded later that evening. 3 people, a 52-year old man, 2 children, were found deceased on July 24 and 25, respectively, after having been reported missing after being swept away by floodwaters. A fourth person, identified as a youth who was travelling with a 52 year old man in the car that got swept away, was found August 2 along the shore in Advocate Harbour.

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military history of the Mi'kmaq</span> Militias of Mikmaq

The military history of the Mi'kmaq consisted primarily of Mi'kmaq warriors (smáknisk) who participated in wars against the English independently as well as in coordination with the Acadian militia and French royal forces. The Mi'kmaq militias remained an effective force for over 75 years before the Halifax Treaties were signed (1760–1761). In the nineteenth century, the Mi'kmaq "boasted" that, in their contest with the British, the Mi'kmaq "killed more men than they lost". In 1753, Charles Morris stated that the Mi'kmaq have the advantage of "no settlement or place of abode, but wandering from place to place in unknown and, therefore, inaccessible woods, is so great that it has hitherto rendered all attempts to surprise them ineffectual". Leadership on both sides of the conflict employed standard colonial warfare, which included scalping non-combatants. After some engagements against the British during the American Revolutionary War, the militias were dormant throughout the nineteenth century, while the Mi'kmaq people used diplomatic efforts to have the local authorities honour the treaties. After confederation, Mi'kmaq warriors eventually joined Canada's war efforts in World War I and World War II. The most well-known colonial leaders of these militias were Chief (Sakamaw) Jean-Baptiste Cope and Chief Étienne Bâtard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military history of the Maliseet</span>

The Maliseet militia was made up of warriors from the Maliseet of northeastern North America. Along with the Wabanaki Confederacy, the French and Acadian militia, the Maliseet fought the British through six wars over a period of 75 years. They also mobilized against the British in the American Revolution. After confederation, Maliseet warriors eventually joined Canada's war efforts in World War I and World War II.

Captain Francis Bartelo (?-1750) was a ranger who served under Edward Cornwallis during Father Le Loutre's War. Bartelo may have served with the Free Companies at Flanders during the war. Bartelo arrived in Halifax on the Merry Jacks with Cornwallis expedition. In February 1750, Bartelo successfully arrested Priest Jacque Girrard and a number of Acadians who participated in the Siege of Grand Pre. After the Battle at St. Croix, he also arrested the Acadians who killed Cornwallis' messenger. In March 1750, Cornwallis wrote, "Gorham is no officer at all; Capt. Bartelo, I can confided in as a good officer, and an honest man." In April, Bartelo was appointed the commander of all the independent companies in Nova Scotia. In September, Cornwallis gave command of Gilman's rangers to Captain Bartelo. He was the commander at Fort Sackville in August 1750, when he served as second in command at the Battle at Chignecto. On August 26 Salusbury recorded that the Mi'kmaq and Acadian militias killed him in the battle. 35 Mi'kmaq and Acadians ambushed Ranger Captain Francis Bartelo, killing him and six of his men while taking seven others captive. The Mi'kmaq conducted ritual torture of the captives throughout the night, which had a chilling effect on the New Englanders.

References

  1. Natural History of Nova Scotia Archived 2003-06-07 at the Wayback Machine , Volume 1, p. 152
  2. Nova Scotia Museum, "Mill On The St. Croix River From The Bridge" Archived 2008-08-03 at the Wayback Machine , (1817)
  3. Nova Scotia Nature Trust
  4. "St. Croix Watershed - Community Profile". Community Counts. Province of Nova Scotia. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  5. Acadian-Cajun Genealogy Pisiguit (with map)
  6. James Harvie
  7. Canoe Kayak Nova Scotia Description of Valley canoe routes

45°0′2.3″N64°6′20.4″W / 45.000639°N 64.105667°W / 45.000639; -64.105667