Saint John River (Bay of Fundy) - History

History

Members of the Wolastoqiyuk Nation, known also as Maliseet, whose lands and culture have been and still are centered on the Saint John River, have historically called the river Wolastoq, translating to "good and beautiful river".

In 1604, parts of the lower river were explored by Samuel de Champlain and Sieur de Monts. Champlain named the river after John the Baptist because he reached the river's mouth on the saint's feast day, June 24. The Maliseet, from their village on the Saint John River Meductic Indian Village / Fort Meductic, conducted numerous raids against the New Englanders below the Kennebec River, Maine (i.e., the border Acadia/ New England border) throughout the French and Indian Wars as well as Father Rale's War.

The lower river valley formed an important part of the French colony of Acadia. Acadian settlements developed along the lower river during the 17th and 18th centuries; including at Fort la Tour (Saint John) and Fort Sainte-Anne (Fredericton).

In 1758, during the French and Indian War, Colonel Robert Monckton began the St. John River Campaign, in which the British burned the Acadian villages along the river, forcing the inhabitants to flee or taking them prisoner prior to deportation. The entire area fell under English control after the English captured Fort Sainte-Anne in Fredericton at the end of the St. John River Campaign (1759).

In 1784, many loyalist refugees from the American Revolutionary War settled in Saint John, Fredericton, and along the river at other settlements such as Queensbury and Woodstock. The arrival of the Loyalists precipitated the creation of the new English colony of New Brunswick. Fredericton was named the capital. English settlement of the fertile Upper River Valley would not occur until the early-to-mid-19th century. A Danish community (New Denmark) was established in the late 19th century.

In 1785, Acadians returning from the deportation settled in the Upper Saint John River valley, near what is now Edmundston. Somewhat later on in the mid-19th century francophone Quebecers also settled the Madawaska region, travelling southwards along traditional portage routes from the Saint Lawrence River valley. They joined the Acadians who were already settled in the area. The Madawaska section of the river valley remains heavily francophone to this day.

The river was an important trade route for French, English and First Nations traders throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. The tremendous flow rate of the river and its tributaries during the spring freshet aided the development of the timber industry in western New Brunswick, and the river became a conduit for log drives to saw and pulp mills in the south. The spring freshet can prove disastrous to property owners along portions of the river, particularly when ice jams cause extensive flooding during the spring break-up.

With the development of lumbering and agricultural resources, the upper river valley area, by the 1820s and 1830s, became increasingly economically important. Both American and British citizens settled the area and, since the international boundary in this area was poorly defined, conflict between the British colony of New Brunswick and the State of Maine inevitably erupted. The Aroostook War developed when the respective state and colonial militias were called out. The border was ultimately defined by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty.

The Saint John River in the 19th century was of tremendous importance in the development of western New Brunswick. It served as the principal transportation artery to the region, particularly prior to the era of rail transport when paddle wheelers plied its waterways.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the river became a major source of hydroelectric power with the opening of the Beechwood Dam in 1955 and the Mactaquac Dam in 1968, where large reservoirs have been created by damming its flow. These massive projects followed the construction of a smaller dam at Grand Falls in 1925, where the river descends in a steep cataract. A consequence of the latter two dams has been a severe decline in migrating Atlantic Salmon, and the flooding of farmland to create the headponds.

In recent years, the river has seen a rise in recreational boating and ecotourism. The rich soil of the Upper Saint John River Valley in Carleton and Victoria counties, as well as Aroostook County, Maine, is also an important area for the cultivation of potatoes.

In 2011, the river was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.