Bay du Vin, New Brunswick
Encyclopedia
Bay du Vin is a small but picturesque unincorporated community located on the south shore of Miramichi Bay
, 24 km east of the former town of Chatham (now a part of Miramichi
), New Brunswick
, Canada
. It is suggested that its name comes from a corruption of the French "Baie de Vents" meaning "Bay of Winds" rather than the widely supposed "Bay of Wine" in the literal translation.
, having been established by French settlers from St. Malo, France in 1642. They established their community along the south shore of Miramichi Bay
, just east of Gardiners Point. With some of the deepest water along Miramichi Bay
, Bay du Vin was one of the most important early settlements in the region. Eventually there were close to fifteen buildings and a chapel, later destroyed by English settlers.
English destroyed the village during the Gulf of St. Lawrence Campaign (1758)
of the expulsion before crossing the bay to do the same to Burnt Church
. The area was later settled by the Irish and English. Williston is still a well known name in Bay du Vin.
Bay du Vin had the first regional high school with both academic and vocational training in the province. It was established by the Reverend Douglas Smith, but was phased out in 1966 and eventually replaced by Miramichi Rural School.
beds, Atlantic salmon
and cranberries
. It is a very pretty area with the Willistons being one of the more noted family names. A well known lumberman, Luther Williston, once had a stone colonial house located there. Bay du Vin also has great sand bars that are perfect for clam digging.
Bay du Vin is also famous for having their annual Summer Survival, which takes place on the first weekend of August. People from all over the area come down on that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to the beer gardens, which has been going on since the late 1980s. 2009 is the 25th anniversary of Bay du Vin Summer Survival. The President of the Recreation Council is Hilary Guimond.
Miramichi Bay
Miramichi Bay is an estuary located on the west coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in New Brunswick, at the mouth of the Miramichi River. Miramichi Bay is separated into the "inner bay" and the "outer bay", with the division being a line of uninhabited barrier islands which are continually reshaped...
, 24 km east of the former town of Chatham (now a part of Miramichi
Miramichi, New Brunswick
Miramichi is the largest city in northern New Brunswick, Canada. It is situated at the mouth of the Miramichi River where it enters Miramichi Bay...
), New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is suggested that its name comes from a corruption of the French "Baie de Vents" meaning "Bay of Winds" rather than the widely supposed "Bay of Wine" in the literal translation.
History
The community is reputed to be the oldest European settlement in Northumberland County, New BrunswickNorthumberland County, New Brunswick
Northumberland County , having the largest area of any county in the province, is located in northeastern New Brunswick, Canada.-Geography:Northumberland County is covered by thick forests, whose products stimulate the economy...
, having been established by French settlers from St. Malo, France in 1642. They established their community along the south shore of Miramichi Bay
Miramichi Bay
Miramichi Bay is an estuary located on the west coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in New Brunswick, at the mouth of the Miramichi River. Miramichi Bay is separated into the "inner bay" and the "outer bay", with the division being a line of uninhabited barrier islands which are continually reshaped...
, just east of Gardiners Point. With some of the deepest water along Miramichi Bay
Miramichi Bay
Miramichi Bay is an estuary located on the west coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in New Brunswick, at the mouth of the Miramichi River. Miramichi Bay is separated into the "inner bay" and the "outer bay", with the division being a line of uninhabited barrier islands which are continually reshaped...
, Bay du Vin was one of the most important early settlements in the region. Eventually there were close to fifteen buildings and a chapel, later destroyed by English settlers.
English destroyed the village during the Gulf of St. Lawrence Campaign (1758)
Gulf of St. Lawrence Campaign (1758)
The Gulf of St. Lawrence Campaign occurred during the French and Indian War when British forces raided villages along present-day New Brunswick and the Gaspé Peninsula coast of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. Sir Charles Hardy and Brigadier-General James Wolfe were in command of the naval and...
of the expulsion before crossing the bay to do the same to Burnt Church
Burnt Church First Nation
Burnt Church Band or Burnt Church First Nation is a Mi'kmaq First Nation in New Brunswick, Canada, centred south of the community of Lagacéville and southwest of the village of Neguac on Miramichi Bay...
. The area was later settled by the Irish and English. Williston is still a well known name in Bay du Vin.
Bay du Vin had the first regional high school with both academic and vocational training in the province. It was established by the Reverend Douglas Smith, but was phased out in 1966 and eventually replaced by Miramichi Rural School.
The community today
The area is known to be rich in smelts, oysterOyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
beds, Atlantic salmon
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
and cranberries
Cranberry
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus Oxycoccus of the genus Vaccinium. In some methods of classification, Oxycoccus is regarded as a genus in its own right...
. It is a very pretty area with the Willistons being one of the more noted family names. A well known lumberman, Luther Williston, once had a stone colonial house located there. Bay du Vin also has great sand bars that are perfect for clam digging.
Bay du Vin is also famous for having their annual Summer Survival, which takes place on the first weekend of August. People from all over the area come down on that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to the beer gardens, which has been going on since the late 1980s. 2009 is the 25th anniversary of Bay du Vin Summer Survival. The President of the Recreation Council is Hilary Guimond.