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Saint John River
Before its beauty is praised, its virtues
extolled, its rich heritage of sacrifice and
settlement described, the Saint John River
is to be noted for its fine historic pedigree:
New Brunswick's greatest waterway was named
by one of Canada's greatest explorers, Samuel
de Champlain, as he sailed into its mouth
at the Bay of Fundy on June 24, 1604, the
feast day of John the Baptist. Of course,
Champlain's christening of the river was an
act of cultural chauvinism. For the Maliseet,
or Wolastoqiyik who had camped along
its banks for centuries, the Saint John was
known as the Wolastoq; for them, it was a
bountiful river that led to a bountiful sea.
It was their refuge, but it was destined to
become the refuge of other cultures, as first
the Acadians, and then the Loyalists, fled
from persecution and personal danger to the
safety of its valley. The Saint John was also
destined to become both an international boundary
and a major artery of culture and commerce
through the heartland of New Brunswick, leading,
ever so conveniently, to one of Atlantic Canada's
most important harbours. Stretching 673 kilometres
from its rugged headwaters in the woods of
northern Maine, running southeast to its mouth
at the city of Saint John, and draining a
vast area of 55,000 square kilometres, the
Saint John is one of Canada's greatest workhorse
rivers. Forests, farms, massive hydroelectric
projects have all left their mark on the Maliseet's
beloved Wolastoq, but its rank as one of eastern
Canada's greatest waterways remains unchanged. |
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