Historic LaHave River Valley

Clint MacNeil teaches history, geography, and world religion at St.
Charles College in Sudbury.

This work was clearly a labour of love for the authors. They present a
community imbued with quaint charm and rural innocence. Recognized as
one of Nova Scotia’s most scenic and longest rivers, the LaHave’s
unique location along the province’s south shore would garner the
region a long and enduring history.

Originally known as “Pijelooeekak” meaning “having long joints”
by local Mi’kmaq and later referred to as “une petite riviиre” by
Champlain on his 1604 map, LaHave would become the eventual home to many
German and Irish settlers. Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grвce, later known as
Fort Point, was recognized as the capital of Acadia. Its strategic
significance dwindled shortly after the garrison was moved to Port
Royale, the new capital, in 1636 and the mighty city of Halifax was
founded in 1749. In the years that followed, settlers of the LaHave
River Valley utilized the abundant natural resources that flourished in
the region. Bridgewater became the commercial hub. Dwellers in nearby
communities found employment in a resource-based economy that revolved
primarily around fishing and shipbuilding.

The authors provide information about the local businesses,
agriculture, religious and cultural institutions, and recreational
activities of people. The construction of a bridge over the river was
the inspiration for the community’s name and legend (that “thirteen
100 gallon barrels of rum” were consumed during construction in 1845).
With the notable exceptions of the massive fire that gutted 54 of
Bridgewater’s buildings in 1899 and when the SS Mount Temple ran
aground at the mouth of the LaHave in 1907, there was little drama.

Building on numerous secondary sources and local stories and including
a wealth of archival photos, the authors provide an invaluable service
for local readers who share in the community’s collective memory and
history.