The
Tantramar Marshes is a
National Wildlife AreaA National Wildlife Area is a conservation status for a geographical region in Canada that restricts most human activities on that region. However, land use permits may be issued "for activities that are compatible with conservation". Such areas are established and managed by the Canadian Wildlife...
on the southern part of the
Isthmus of ChignectoThe Isthmus of Chignecto is an isthmus bordering the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia which connects the Nova Scotia peninsula with North America....
, which joins
Nova ScotiaNova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
to
New BrunswickNew 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...
and the Canadian mainland. It is the site of the historic
Battle of Fort BeauséjourThe Battle of Fort Beauséjour was fought on the Isthmus of Chignecto and marked the end of Father Le Loutre’s War andthe opening of a British offensive in the French and Indian War, which would eventually lead to the end the French Empire in North America...
, the final chapter in the long battle for Acadia by the British and French. Immediately after the battle, Beaubassin was the site where the British chose to begin the Expulsion of the Acadians from the Maritimes in 1755.
Beaubassin
The early Acadian settlers called the region Beaubassin. Migrating from
Port RoyalPort Royal was the capital of Acadia from 1605 to 1710 and is now a town called Annapolis Royal in the western part of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Initially Port Royal was located on the north shore of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, at the site of the present reconstruction of the...
, the Acadians established a village in the area around 1671. The village grew to become one of the largest in Acadia. In
King William's WarThe first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War...
,
New EnglandNew England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
military officer Benjamin Church led the devastating Raid on Beaubassin (1696). In
Queen Anne's WarQueen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...
, Church returned for the second Raid on Beaubassin in 1704. In both raids Church burned the village to the ground and took prisoners back to Boston. Eventually, to thwart British officer Charles Lawrence's attempt to occupy the area and build
Fort LawrenceFort Lawrence was a British fort built during Father Le Loutre's War and located on the Isthmus of Chignecto .-Father Le Loutre's War:...
, Abbe
Jean-Louis Le LoutreAbbé Jean-Louis Le Loutre was a Catholic priest and missionary for the Paris Foreign Missions Society...
burned the village for the last time and the Acadians moved across the marsh to
Fort BeauséjourFort Beauséjour, was built during Father Le Loutre's War from 1751-1755; it is located at the Isthmus of Chignecto in present-day Aulac, New Brunswick, Canada...
in 1750.
Fort Beauséjour
The British established
Fort LawrenceFort Lawrence was a British fort built during Father Le Loutre's War and located on the Isthmus of Chignecto .-Father Le Loutre's War:...
in 1750 at Beaubassin and eventually defeated the French, Mi'kmaq and Acadians in the
Battle of Fort BeauséjourThe Battle of Fort Beauséjour was fought on the Isthmus of Chignecto and marked the end of Father Le Loutre’s War andthe opening of a British offensive in the French and Indian War, which would eventually lead to the end the French Empire in North America...
in 1755. The fall of Beauséjour led the way for the British to begin the Expulsion of the Acadians. The British changed the name of the fort to Fort Cumberland. Although efforts to settle
New England PlantersThe New England Planters were settlers from the New England colonies who responded to invitations by the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, to settle lands left vacant by the Bay of Fundy Campaign of the Acadian Expulsion...
in the area failed, there was a significant Migration from Yorkshire to Nova Scotia in the region.
During the
American Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the British victory at the
Battle of Fort CumberlandThe Battle of Fort Cumberland was an attempt by a small number of militia commanded by Jonathan Eddy to bring the American Revolutionary War to Nova Scotia in late 1776...
in late 1776 diminished the hope of the Thirteen American colonies that Nova Scotia would become part of the rebellion against Britain. After the American Revolution, the region was also settled by
United Empire LoyalistsThe name United Empire Loyalists is an honorific given after the fact to those American Loyalists who resettled in British North America and other British Colonies as an act of fealty to King George III after the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War and prior to the Treaty of Paris...
.
Geography
The marshes penetrate inland from the
Bay of FundyThe Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...
for 10 kilometers.
AcadianThe Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
s, who called the region
Beaubassin, built dykes in the early 18th century to stop the tidal influx of salt water, creating rich agricultural land on the deep sedimentary soils.
The name
Tantramar is derived from the
AcadianThe Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
French
tintamarre, meaning 'din' or 'racket', a reference to the noisy flocks of birds which feed there. The marshes are an important stopover for
migratingBird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
waterfowl such as semi-palmated Sandpipers and Canada Geese. Today the marshes are the site of two bird sanctuaries.
In the past, the Tantramar Marshes were called the "World's Largest Hayfield". The
hayHay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
was shipped for commercial sale along the Eastern Seaboard and to Europe as late as the 1930s. Because the
salt marshA salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
had rich, sticky, red mud and soil, the hay grown there was high in
iodineIodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The name is pronounced , , or . The name is from the , meaning violet or purple, due to the color of elemental iodine vapor....
. In a world where food additives were not yet being used, iodine-rich hay made the Tantramar a valuable source for healthy, high-quality
fodderFodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
.
A few historic hay barns still dot the landscape. In the 1930s, more than 400 post-and-beam hay barns were still scattered across the marsh. Today there are fewer than 30.
The following rivers drain from and around the marshes:
- Aulac River
- LaPlanche River
- Missaguash River
The Missaguash River is a small Canadian river that forms the southern portion of the inter-provincial boundary between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on the Isthmus of Chignecto...
- Tantramar River
Tantramar Region
Over time, the marshes have come to identify the overall inter-provincial region and include the following communities:
Nova Scotia
- Amherst
Amherst is a Canadian town in northwestern Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.Located at the northeast end of the Cumberland Basin, an arm of the Bay of Fundy, Amherst is strategically situated on the eastern boundary of the Tantramar Marshes 3 kilometres east of the interprovincial border with New...
- Amherst Point
Amherst Point is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Cumberland County.-References:*...
- East Amherst
East Amherst is a Canadian rural community located in northwestern Cumberland County, Nova Scotia near the border with New Brunswick.East Amherst is an unincorporated community located on Trunk 6, immediately east of the Town of Amherst's municipal boundary.The community is mostly small mixed-use...
- Fort Lawrence
Fort Lawrence is a Canadian rural community located on the Isthmus of Chignecto in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.Situated 1 km east of the Missaguash River which forms the inter-provincial boundary with New Brunswick, Fort Lawrence is situated on a low ridge facing Aulac to the west and...
- West Amherst
West Amherst is a small community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Hants County.-References:*...
- Aulac
Aulac is a Canadian community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Aulac is situated upon the Aulac Ridge, a prominent rise running west-east across the Tantramar Marshes on the Isthmus of Chignecto, approximately 2 kilometres west of the Missaguash River which forms the southern part of the...
- British Settlement
British Settlement is a Canadian rural community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Located in the Sackville Parish approximately 8 kilometres southwest of Sackville...
- Halls Hill
Halls Hill is a Canadian rural community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Located in the Sackville Parish approximately 20 kilometres northeast of Sackville...
- Jolicure
Jolicure is a Canadian rural community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Located in the Sackville Parish approximately 9 kilometres northeast of Sackville...
- Middle Sackville
Middle Sackville is a Canadian rural community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Located in the Sackville Parish approximately 3 kilometres southwest of Sackville...
- Midgic
Midgic is a Canadian rural community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Located in the Sackville Parish approximately 8 kilometres east of Sackville, Midgic defines the eastern boundary of the Tantramar Marshes.Population:300...
- Mount Whatley
- Point de Bute
Point de Bute is a community in Westmorland County in the Province of New Brunswick, Canada.Point de Bute is the birthplace of World War I flying ace, Albert Desbrisay Carter and the scientist Edwin Colpitts....
- Sackville
Sackville is a Canadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Mount Allison University is located in the town...
- Upper Point de Bute
Upper Point de Bute is a Canadian rural community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Located in the Sackville Parish approximately 7 kilometres Northeast of Sackville...
- Upper Sackville
Upper Sackville is a Canadian rural community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Located in the Sackville Parish approximately 6 kilometres northwest of Sackville...
- Westcock
Westcock is a Canadian rural community in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. Located in the Sackville Parish approximately 8 kilometres southwest of SackvilleFamous Canadian poet and story writer Sir Charles G.D...
The
Tantramar Heritage TrustThe Tantramar Heritage Trust is a non-profit charity that promotes the preservation of heritage buildings, artefacts and lands in an area of south-east New Brunswick along the Nova Scotia border known as the "Tantramar"...
is a charity dedicated to preserving heritage resources related to this region.
In the arts
The landscape of the Tantramar Marshes has inspired such artists as the poets
Charles G.D. RobertsSir Charles George Douglas Roberts, was a Canadian poet and prose writer who is known as the Father of Canadian Poetry. He was "almost the first Canadian author to obtain worldwide reputation and influence; he was also a tireless promoter and encourager of Canadian literature......
,
Bliss CarmanBliss Carman FRSC was a Canadian poet who lived most of his life in the United States, where he achieved international fame. He was acclaimed as Canada's poet laureate during his later years....
and
Douglas LochheadDouglas Lochhead, FRSC was a Canadian poet who lived in Sackville, New Brunswick, of which town he was the official poet laureate...
, painter
Alex ColvilleDavid Alexander Colville, is a Canadian painter.Colville's family moved from Toronto to Amherst, Nova Scotia in 1929. He attended Mount Allison University from 1938-1942, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Colville married Rhoda Wright that year and enlisted in the Canadian Army under the...
and photographer
Thaddeus HolowniaThaddeus Holownia is a British-born Canadian artist and professor. He currently teaches photography at Mount Allison University and is the Head of the Department of Fine Arts.-Early life:...
.
Broadcasting transmitter
The
Canadian Broadcasting CorporationThe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
operates a
shortwaveShortwave radio refers to the upper MF and all of the HF portion of the radio spectrum, between 1,800–30,000 kHz. Shortwave radio received its name because the wavelengths in this band are shorter than 200 m which marked the original upper limit of the medium frequency band first used...
broadcastingBroadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
transmitterIn electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
(its RCI Sackville Relay Station) in Sackville, New Brunswick next to the Transcanada Highway for its
Radio Canada InternationalRadio Canada International is the international broadcasting service of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . Until 1970, it was known as the CBC International Service and was sometimes referred to as the "Voice of Canada" in its early years.- The early years :The idea for creating an...
Service. The transmitters is also used by Radio Japan,
China Radio InternationalChina Radio International , the former Radio Beijing and originally Radio Peking, founded on December 3 of 1941, is one of the three state-owned media in China along with China National Radio and China Central Television in the People's Republic of China .As the PRC's external radio station, CRI...
, Voice of Vietnam, Radio Sweden,
BBC World ServiceThe BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
,
Deutsche WelleDeutsche Welle or DW, is Germany's international broadcaster. The service is aimed at the overseas market. It broadcasts news and information on shortwave, Internet and satellite radio on 98.7 DZFE in 30 languages . It has a satellite television service , that is available in four languages, and...
and Radio Korea as part of a transmitter time exchange agreement.
Transportation
The Tantramar Marsh forms most of the border of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Three of the four land crossings between the two provinces go through the marsh; the fourth is located on the eastern side of the Isthmus of Chignecto, between
Baie Verte, New BrunswickBaie Verte is a community in Westmorland County in the Canadian province of New Brunswick.The community is situated near the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island and is surrounded by a large area of salt marsh. It is home to the Winegarden Estate vineyard and the Waterfowl Village....
and
Tidnish Bridge, Nova Scotia Tidnish Bridge is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Cumberland County on the interprovincial border with New Brunswick between Upper Tidnish, and Lower Tidnish on the Tidnish River....
.
- The Trans-Canada Highway crosses the marshes between Amherst and Sackville. The provincial border at the Missaguash River
The Missaguash River is a small Canadian river that forms the southern portion of the inter-provincial boundary between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on the Isthmus of Chignecto...
bridge is the dividing line between Nova Scotia Highway 104Highway 104 in Nova Scotia runs from the New Brunswick border near Amherst to St. Peter's. Except for the portion on Cape Breton Island between Port Hawkesbury and St. Peter's, it is part of the Trans-Canada Highway....
-Nova Scotia Trunk 2 and New Brunswick Highway 2. This highway forms one of the two main surface transportation links between the two provinces.
- CN Rail
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
's mainline between HalifaxHalifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
and Montreal runs across the marshes, parallel to the Trans-Canada Highway. This railway line forms one of the two main surface transportation links between the two provinces.
- The Mount Whatley Road is a local road that runs between Mt. Whatley, New Brunswick
Mt. Whatley is a community in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, located in Westmorland County on New Brunswick Highway 16. Mt. Whatley is situated upon the Aulac Ridge, a prominent rise running west-east across the Tantramar Marshes on the Isthmus of Chignecto,on the shore of the Missaguash...
and Fort Lawrence, Nova ScotiaFort Lawrence is a Canadian rural community located on the Isthmus of Chignecto in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.Situated 1 km east of the Missaguash River which forms the inter-provincial boundary with New Brunswick, Fort Lawrence is situated on a low ridge facing Aulac to the west and...
. The provincial border at the Missaguash RiverThe Missaguash River is a small Canadian river that forms the southern portion of the inter-provincial boundary between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on the Isthmus of Chignecto...
is the dividing line between the two provinces.
Further reading
- Maritime dykelands: The 350 Year Struggle, published by the Province of Nova Scotia, 1987
External links