Photo by Denis Bouvier
Denis and I were on holiday in Eastern Canada this summer and one of our most poignant memories was our visit to Grand-Pré, Nova Scotia. We stayed with friends who enjoy this view in front of their house. We see a church built between 1922–1930 which commemorates the deportation of the Acadians of Minas Basin. In the mists behind the church are farmlands which flow down to Horton Landing, an area of marshlands believed to be the site where Acadians from this area were deported. From these mists arises a formidable history.
In the early 17th century, settlers from France came to Acadie, the area which now comprises Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Grand-Pré was established around 1680; its settlers built dikes around the marshlands, creating rich farmland. They prospered for the next 75 years and by the mid-18th century Grand-Pré was the largest Acadian community around the Bay of Fundy and the coastline of Nova Scotia.
Caught between French and British wars, part of Acadie came under British rule in 1713 and was named Nova Scotia. Although in general agreeing to live under British sovereignty, the Acadians refused to take up arms against the French. Suspicious of their loyalty to the French, perhaps envious of their rich farmland and wanting to encourage Protestant settlers, in 1755 the British announced to the populace of Grand-Pré their decision to deport them and confiscate their property. For the next 8 years, over 10,000 people from all over Acadie were deported, and their villages were burned to the ground. They were sent to other British colonies, to England, to France; some fled to Quebec and others migrated to Louisiana. Several thousand died from disease on board ships or when the ships were lost at sea. All these events are sensitively presented in the multi-media theatre at Grand-Pré’s Visitor Reception and Interpretation Centre, operated by Parks Canada.
In 1961, Grand-Pré was designated a national historic site. Today there is a proposal for Grand-Pré to obtain designation on the Unesco World Heritage List. This would greatly highlight the historical importance of the area, and aid in its preservation.
