Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy History

Early Settlers

It was the tribes of the Mi’kmaq and the Malecite who first regularly traveled the waterways of the Bay of Fundy, fishing along coastal areas during the summer months, moving inland towards the Saint John River during the cold winter season to trap.

The Acadians were the next to arrive in 1698, lured by the ease of farming these wide salt marshes.  They dyked the marshes to prevent the salt water from flooding the lowlands every high tide.  Built into these dykes were a one-way door, called “aboiteau”, that allowed drainage of the marshes during low tide, but prevented the salt water from entering at high tide.

Next came German settlers from Pennsylvania and the Irish and Scottish settlers. The United Empire Loyalists arrived after the American Revolution. Each contributed cultural traditions and religious differences to the new land. Like mismatched pieces of quilt these differences were distinct and separate, sometimes clashing, but once knitted and stitched together over time, they blended into our uniquely Maritime pattern of life.