Escuminac (2011 population: 212) is a rural community in Northumberland County,

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, Canada. The

local service district A local service district is a type of designated place in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. In the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, a local service district is a defined area led by an elected committee responsible for the deliv ...

of Escuminac takes its name from the community. Located on the south shore of

Miramichi Bay Miramichi Bay is an estuary located on the west coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in New Brunswick, at the mouth of the Miramichi River. Miramichi Bay is separated into the "inner bay" and the "outer bay", with the division being a line of uni ...

, the community is several kilometres west of

Point Escuminac Point Escuminac is a cape located in eastern New Brunswick, Canada. Its geographic coordinates are 47º04'N, 64º48'W. It is the dividing point for delineating the western limits of the Northumberland Strait. It is located near the unincorpora ...

, the southeastern limit of the bay. Canada's largest inshore fishing vessel harbour is home to the local fishing fleet. Industries include two fish processing & freezing plants and a boat building facility. One of Canada's important

herring Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, i ...

spawning grounds is located beside Point Escuminac. According to Joseph-Étienne Guinard, a missionary and Cree language specialist with some experience with the

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the northe ...

, the word means "here are small fruits". This perfectly describes the area as berries proliferate en masse in this low-lying flat area, and the first colonist were amazed at the amount of

Ericaceae The Ericaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with c.4250 known species spread across 124 genera, making it th ...

. Peat bogs and rare peat cliffs are situated in the vicinity of Point Escuminac, approximately 5 kilometers east of the village.

History

Escuminac was originally an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

settlement of six families, but outward emigration and the prevalence of

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

speakers in the immediate area has changed its composition somewhat. A small two-room English school was closed in 1979. Escuminac and surrounding fishing villages, especially Baie Ste. Anne, Hardwicke and Bay du Vin were the site of a

tragedy Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

on June 19 and June 20, 1959, when a sudden storm caused a loss of 35 fishermen of the area. It is called the

Escuminac Disaster The 1959 Escuminac disaster (also to referred to as the Escuminac hurricane) was considered the worst fishing-related disaster in New Brunswick in 100 years. It occurred due to the extratropical remnants of an Atlantic hurricane. The stor ...

. A monument by Claude Rousselle commemorating the tragedy sits at the head of the harbour.

Notable people

References

Communities in Northumberland County, New Brunswick Designated places in New Brunswick Local service districts of Northumberland County, New Brunswick {{NewBrunswick-geo-stub

History

Notable people

See also

References