The Legacy of Saint Croix Island

The establishment of the St. Croix Island settlement marked the beginning of a continuous French presence in North America. Not only is its story the introductory chapter in the history of the Acadian people, it is also of international significance, forming an integral part of the histories of three countries: Canada, France, and the United States. The start of continuous contact with Europeans also marks a turning point in the saga of the First Peoples of the region.

Port Royal

The experience gained at St. Croix Island led to the creation of a much more successful settlement at Port Royal. Nestled in the Annapolis Valley, the settlers were better protected from the elements. Their mainland location made it easy to farm, fish, hunt and gather firewood without having to cross icy waters.

In 1607, the first colonists at Port Royal were forced to leave the colony when De Mons lost his trading monopoly. The venture was revived in 1610, when the Sieur de Poutrincourt returned to the site to establish a fur trading post and farming community. In 1613, the settlement was destroyed by an English raid from Jamestown, however a handful of colonists remained in Acadia. They were still pursuing their new life in the “New World” in 1621, when the British Crown first laid claim to the region.

The Acadian Legacy

The history of Port Royal and Acadia is fraught with conflict, as competing factions struggled for control of the colony and the lucrative fur trade with the First Peoples. Many of the English settlers of New England also viewed the French colony as a threat, and over the years, led repeated raids and attacks on the settlement. Control of the colony changed hands between the British and the French repeatedly.

Despite these repeated disruptions, the people of Acadia thrived. Over the years, they created a prosperous community built around the tremendous agricultural potential of the Annapolis Valley, as well as the wealth of the sea and nearby forests. A unique system of dikes enabled them to reclaim the rich soil from beneath the tidal waters of the Annapolis Basin and Bay of Fundy, By the 1750s, Acadian homes and villages could be found along the shores of the Bay of Fundy and the north shore of New Brunswick. Some Acadians had also settled on Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton.

The Deportation of the Acadian People

In 1755, the British, who had controlled Acadia since 1713, decided to forcibly remove all the French inhabitants of the region to the British colonies to the south because the Acadians refused to swear an unqualified oath of allegiance to the British. Hundreds of families were loaded onto overcrowded vessels and sent far from their homes. Many were deported to New England and subsequently some made way to Louisiana which was still under French control. Others escaped, making their way to Prince Edward Island, Quebec, or France. The deportations continued throughout the Seven Years War (or French and Indian War). Between 1755 and 1763, around 10,000 people were displaced from their homes throughout Atlantic Canada. The deportation of the Acadians, known as “Le Grand Dérangement” remains tremendously controversial even today as historians weigh the real security concerns of the British versus the suffering of the Acadians.

New France

The settlements at St. Croix and Port Royal were key steps in building the colony of New France. In 1608, Champlain established a permanent settlement at Quebec. Over the years, settlers gradually took up the lands of the St. Lawrence Valley. Many were farmers, but others preferred to explore the interior and trade for furs. These men became the famous French “coureurs des bois” and “voyageurs” who travelled thousands of miles by canoe along the waterways of the vast continent.

French explorers such as Louis Jolliet, Jacques Marquette and the Cavelier de La Salle became the first Europeans to see the Great Lakes and journey down the Mississippi. By 1642, the French had established a fur trading and missionary outpost at Montreal. By 1701, they were at Detroit and Michilimackinac. At its peak, New France extended from the St. Lawrence to the Rocky Mountains in the west, and Louisiana and the Mississippi in the south. In 1763 the French ceded New France to England under the terms of the Treaty of Paris.

The French Presence in North America Today

The French presence in North America continues to this day. Over 16 million people of French-speaking origin live in Canada and the United States. In Canada, the province of Quebec remains predominantly French-speaking. French-speaking communities can also be found in New Brunswick, Ontario, and most other Canadian provinces. In the United States, people of French-speaking origin are concentrated largely in Louisiana, Maine, and the other New England states.