Missaguash River

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The Missaguash River is a small Canadian river that forms the southern portion of the inter-provincial boundary between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick on the Isthmus of Chignecto. It had additional historic significance in the 18th century when it was for many years a de facto border between French (to the north) and English (to the south) controlled territory.

The river's name is from the Mi'kmaq language, likely meaning "marsh river", in reference to the Tantramar Marshes through which it flows. The river flows south into Cumberland Basin and its source is in the Missaguash Bog, several kilometres to the north.

[edit] Acadian settlement

A small group of Acadians from Port Royal, led by Jacques Bourgeois, formed a settlement on the south bank of the Missaguash, near its mouth, around 1672. The settlers reclaimed the salt marsh bordering the Missaquash by constructing dykes to keep out the sea. This village grew until 1750, when the French Catholic priest Abbé LeLoutre led Mi'kmaq warriors to burn down the village and force the Acadians to relocate to French-held territory north of the Missaguash. In the Fall of 1750 the English army under Major Charles Lawrence established Fort Lawrence on the site of the burned village.