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Tonge Island National Historic Site of Canada
The plaque that Prime Minister Harper unveiled today on Tonge’s Island had the following words:
Welcome
Beaubassin stood at the crossroads of history where First Nations, Acadians and English peoples played a major role in its development and in shaping Canada.
Today Irving Oil, Ducks Unlimited Canada and Acadia University offer this wide expanse of Tantramar marshlands and research centre as a beacon for all those wishing a better tomorrow, a healthier environment, the pursuit of knowledge, closer cooperation between governments and industry and harmony between cultures.
Beaubassin
Beaubassin was the first settlement on the Isthmus of Chignecto, Nova Scotia, which was Acadian. The area is known today as the Tantramar Marshes. Beaubassin was settled in 1672, the second Acadian village to be established after Port Royal. The village was one of the largest and most prosperous in Acadia. The Beaubassin area included Weskak (present day Westcock), Pre des Bourgs (Sackville), Pre des Richards (Middle Sackville), La Butte, Le Coupe and Le Lac at the confluence of the Missiguash, Menouie and Eleysian Fields, Maccan (Makon), Nappan (Nepane) and Riviere Hebert. During Father Le Loutre’s War, Beaubassin was destroyed as part of the Acadian Exodus from mainland Nova Scotia.
Beaubassin was designated a national historic site of Canada in 2005 because the village was a major Acadian settlement and a pivotal place in the 17th and 18th century North American geopolitical struggle between the British and French empires. The site’s archaeological features, deposits, and artifacts attest to the Acadian occupation and way of life at Beaubassin and speak to the destruction of the village.
