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New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame5 May 2004
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In small towns and villages throughout New Brunswick sport has always been an integral part of the fabric of the community. As such, rural communities have made an important and lasting contribution to New Brunswick's sports heritage, and none more so than the international border town of St. Stephen situated on the St. Croix River, across from Calais, Maine USA.In sport as in life, each generation inspires the next, and even today those who "play sports" in St. Stephen hold a special place in the hearts and minds of those who live and work there. "Hometown Sports Heroes" highlights the remarkable achievements of these athletes, and teams, which have been an integral part of community life in St. Stephen dating from the early 1900's to the present day.
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New Brunswick Counties5 May 2004
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St. Stephen is situated on the International Boundary between the province of New Brunswick, Canada and the state of Maine, United States of America. The lower part of this boundary is the St. Croix River. A Canadian Heritage River, its history includes people present long before the French explorers Champlain and DeMonts first ventured onto St. Croix Island (sometimes called Dochets Island) in 1604. Their endeavor marked the first European settlement north of Florida and the first French settlement anywhere in North America. Before and after that ill-fated French expedition, the aboriginal population, the Passamaquoddy, harvested large quantities of smelt, alewives and salmon from the St. Croix.5
Champlain's drawing of a native1612
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The Passamaquoddy tribe was part of a large confederation of tribes generally called the Wabanaki, meaning Dawnland People. Their homeland encompassed a huge area, thought to include northern New England, as well as the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.They lived in small villages consisting of wigwams (cone shaped dwellings covered in birchbark) and longhouses. The wigwams were very portable while the longhouses were much more permanent structures. The tribes were not nomadic. Movement was based on seasonal patterns and they often returned to their permanent longhouse structures.
Their social activities included singing, story telling, making up riddles and playing word games. The Passamaquoddy also played what we have come to know as the game of lacrosse.
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Map of the Bay of Fundy1910
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In March of 1604, five ships carrying 120 men set sail from Havre de Grace, now called Le Havre, France to establish a settlement in the New World. The French expedition was led by nobleman Pierre Dugas the Sieur de Mons.The expedition landed at Sable Island on May 1, 1604. From there, the party divided.
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Champlain's drawing of a ship1600
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Three ships carrying 41 of the original 120 men headed to the St. Lawrence River to trade. Two ships and the remaining 79 men continued searching for an appropriate spot to establish the settlement.11
Map of surroundings of Isle de Saint Croix1910
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By late June, after exploring the mouth of the Saint John River, the Dugas group sailed into the Passamaquoddy Bay and up a river. Here they found an island situated inland near the conflux of what appeared to be three rivers resembling the arms of a cross. Dugas named the island Isle Ste. Croix.13
Isle de Saint Croix1604
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Immediately work began to clear the island and neighbouring mainland to construct their dwellings, a kitchen, a storehouse, a blacksmith shop and a chapel. Work went well and by late September construction was complete. |
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