Hillsborough River (Prince Edward Island)
Encyclopedia
The Hillsborough River, also known as the East River, is a Canadian
river in northeastern Queens County
, Prince Edward Island
.
during King George's War
, the New Englanders also captured Île Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island). The New Englanders had a force of two war ships and 200 soldiers stationed at Port-La-Joye
. To regain Acadia, Ramezay was sent from Quebec to the region to join forces with the Duc d'Anville Expedition
. Upon arriving at Chignecto, he sent (French officer Boishébert
to Ile Saint-Jean on a reconnaissance to assess the size of the New England force. After Boishebert returned, Ramezay sent Joseph-Michel Legardeur de Croisille et de Montesson along with over 500 men, 200 of whom were Mi'kmaq, to Port-La-Joye. In July 1746, the battle happened near Northeast River (Hillsborough River
). Montesson and his troops killed or imprisoned forty New Englanders. Montesson was commended for having distinguished himself in his first independent command.
According to the 1752 census, the Acadians arrived in Riviere Nord-Est, Ile St. Jean (present day Hillsborough River) in 1750. The influenial Acadian Joseph-Nicolas Gautier
dit Ballair and his family moved from Annapolis Royal to River North-East (Hillsborough) at the location today Scotchfort
.
As well, Jean Pitre's family and many from the Henry family arrived from Maitland, Nova Scotia in Hants County as part of the Acadian Exodus
to escape hostilities after arrival of protestants in Nova Scotia and the establishment of Halifax (1749). The whole community of Acadians died during the French and Indian War
in the Ile Saint-Jean Campaign
(1758). They were deported on the Duke William, which sank in the English channel. The sinking of the Duke William was one of the worst marine disaster in Canadian history (as measured by Canadian lives lost)--see list of disasters involving Canadians by death toll.
at Mount Stewart
which gradually widens from several dozen metres to approximately 1 km at its discharge point in Charlottetown
Harbour. The river's total meander length is approximately 45 km, with 12 km being an estuary.
The river was the 27th in Canada and the first in Prince Edward Island to be nominated to the Canadian Heritage Rivers System
. The river's estuary fronts heritage agricultural communities, Acadian
dykes, historic shipyards, and the Charlottetown waterfront (where the Fathers of Confederation
landed). The river's freshwater portion flows through pristine forests and farming areas, as well as extensive wetlands. The river during its freshwater run resembles a typical stream in other Canadian provinces.
The river was bridged by the Prince Edward Island Railway
between Charlottetown
and Southport on the massive Hillsborough River Bridge
, one of the longest railway bridges in eastern Canada, as well as one of the longest narrow gauge railway bridges in the world, as well as on a much shorter crossing in Mount Stewart
.
The modern highway bridge was constructed adjacent to the railway bridge between Charlottetown and Southport in 1962 and was modernized and expanded in 1995. Additional highway bridges cross the river at Mount Stewart and at several points upstream from Mount Stewart.
The river hosts a variety of recreational activities as well as quahog and oyster
fisheries.
The river suffers from high nitrate levels,and silt run off from over farming and excess Riparian zone development.
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...
river in northeastern Queens County
Queens County, Prince Edward Island
Queens County is located in central Prince Edward Island, Canada. The county is geographically divided by the Hillsborough River's estuary, a tidal inlet which almost splits the county and Prince Edward Island...
, Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
.
Battle at Port-la-Joye
After the Siege of Louisbourg (1745)Siege of Louisbourg (1745)
The Siege of Louisbourg took place in 1745 when a New England colonial force aided by a British fleet captured Louisbourg, the capital of the French province of Île-Royale during the War of the Austrian Succession, known as King George's War in the British colonies.Although the Fortress of...
during King George's War
King George's War
King George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession . It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia...
, the New Englanders also captured Île Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island). The New Englanders had a force of two war ships and 200 soldiers stationed at Port-La-Joye
Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst
Port-la-Joye—Fort Amherst is a National Historic Site of Canada in Prince Edward Island, Canada, commemorating the location's double distinction in hosting both the oldest permanent European settlement on Ile Saint-Jean and the first military fortification on the island to be built by the British...
. To regain Acadia, Ramezay was sent from Quebec to the region to join forces with the Duc d'Anville Expedition
Duc d'Anville Expedition
The Duc d'Anville Expedition was sent from France to recapture peninsular Acadia . The expedition was the largest military force ever to set sail for the New World prior to the American Revolution. The effort to take the Nova Scotian capital, Annapolis Royal was also supported on land by a force...
. Upon arriving at Chignecto, he sent (French officer Boishébert
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot
Charles Deschamps de Boishébert , was the leader of the Acadian resistance to the Expulsion of the Acadians. He settled and tried to protect Acadians refugees along the rivers of New Brunswick. Fort Boishebert is named after him...
to Ile Saint-Jean on a reconnaissance to assess the size of the New England force. After Boishebert returned, Ramezay sent Joseph-Michel Legardeur de Croisille et de Montesson along with over 500 men, 200 of whom were Mi'kmaq, to Port-La-Joye. In July 1746, the battle happened near Northeast River (Hillsborough River
Hillsborough River (Prince Edward Island)
The Hillsborough River, also known as the East River, is a Canadian river in northeastern Queens County, Prince Edward Island.-Battle at Port-la-Joye :...
). Montesson and his troops killed or imprisoned forty New Englanders. Montesson was commended for having distinguished himself in his first independent command.
According to the 1752 census, the Acadians arrived in Riviere Nord-Est, Ile St. Jean (present day Hillsborough River) in 1750. The influenial Acadian Joseph-Nicolas Gautier
Joseph-Nicolas Gautier
Joseph-Nicolas Gautier dit Bellair, Joseph-Nicolas Gautier dit Bellair, Joseph-Nicolas Gautier dit Bellair, (b. 1689 at Rochefort, France, d. 1752 at Port-La-Joie (Fort Amherst, P.E.I.) was a merchant trader and a leader of the Acadian militia who participated in war efforts against the British...
dit Ballair and his family moved from Annapolis Royal to River North-East (Hillsborough) at the location today Scotchfort
Scotchfort, Prince Edward Island
Scotchfort is an unincorporated Canadian rural community in northeastern Queens County, Prince Edward Island, southwest of the village of Mount Stewart....
.
As well, Jean Pitre's family and many from the Henry family arrived from Maitland, Nova Scotia in Hants County as part of the Acadian Exodus
Acadian Exodus
The Acadian Exodus happened during Father Le Loutre’s War and involved almost half of the total Acadian population of Nova Scotia deciding to relocate to French controlled territories...
to escape hostilities after arrival of protestants in Nova Scotia and the establishment of Halifax (1749). The whole community of Acadians died during the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
in the Ile Saint-Jean Campaign
Ile Saint-Jean Campaign
The Ile Saint-Jean Campaign was a series of military operations in fall 1758, during the French and Indian War, to deport the Acadians that either lived on Ile Saint-Jean or had taken refuge there from earlier deportation operations...
(1758). They were deported on the Duke William, which sank in the English channel. The sinking of the Duke William was one of the worst marine disaster in Canadian history (as measured by Canadian lives lost)--see list of disasters involving Canadians by death toll.
Rivers and highways
From its source near the farming hamlet of Head of Hillsborough in the northeastern part of the county, the river flows southwesterly, becoming a tidal estuaryEstuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
at Mount Stewart
Mount Stewart, Prince Edward Island
Mount Stewart is a Canadian village located in the northeastern part of Queens County, Prince Edward Island.Mount Stewart is located at the head of the once-navigable portion of the Hillsborough River at the point where the river begins to narrow significantly.The village played an important role...
which gradually widens from several dozen metres to approximately 1 km at its discharge point in Charlottetown
Charlottetown
Charlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...
Harbour. The river's total meander length is approximately 45 km, with 12 km being an estuary.
The river was the 27th in Canada and the first in Prince Edward Island to be nominated to the Canadian Heritage Rivers System
Canadian Heritage Rivers System
The Canadian Heritage Rivers System was established in 1984 by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to conserve and protect the best examples of Canada's river heritage, to give them national recognition, and to encourage the public to enjoy and appreciate them. It is a cooperative...
. The river's estuary fronts heritage agricultural communities, Acadian
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
dykes, historic shipyards, and the Charlottetown waterfront (where the Fathers of Confederation
Fathers of Confederation
The Fathers of Confederation are the people who attended the Charlottetown and Quebec Conferences in 1864 and the London Conference of 1866 in England, preceding Canadian Confederation. The following lists the participants in the Charlottetown, Quebec, and London Conferences and their attendance at...
landed). The river's freshwater portion flows through pristine forests and farming areas, as well as extensive wetlands. The river during its freshwater run resembles a typical stream in other Canadian provinces.
The river was bridged by the Prince Edward Island Railway
Prince Edward Island Railway
The Prince Edward Island Railway was a historic Canadian railway.-Construction:Located wholly within the province of Prince Edward Island, construction of the PEIR started in 1871, financed by the United Kingdom...
between Charlottetown
Charlottetown
Charlottetown is a Canadian city. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885...
and Southport on the massive Hillsborough River Bridge
Hillsborough River Bridge
The Hillsborough River Bridge refers to two separate Canadian bridges which crossed the Hillsborough River estuary between Charlottetown and Stratford in Queens County, Prince Edward Island.-First bridge, 1905-1962:...
, one of the longest railway bridges in eastern Canada, as well as one of the longest narrow gauge railway bridges in the world, as well as on a much shorter crossing in Mount Stewart
Mount Stewart, Prince Edward Island
Mount Stewart is a Canadian village located in the northeastern part of Queens County, Prince Edward Island.Mount Stewart is located at the head of the once-navigable portion of the Hillsborough River at the point where the river begins to narrow significantly.The village played an important role...
.
The modern highway bridge was constructed adjacent to the railway bridge between Charlottetown and Southport in 1962 and was modernized and expanded in 1995. Additional highway bridges cross the river at Mount Stewart and at several points upstream from Mount Stewart.
The river hosts a variety of recreational activities as well as quahog and oyster
Oyster
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....
fisheries.
The river suffers from high nitrate levels,and silt run off from over farming and excess Riparian zone development.