River John is a river in Nova Scotia. Draining the extreme western part of
Pictou County
Pictou County is a county in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was established in 1835, and was formerly a part of Halifax County from 1759 to 1835. It had a population of 43,657 people in 2021, a decline of 0.2 percent from 2016. Furthermo ...
, it flows into
Amet Sound Amet Sound is a large body of water, an embayment of the Northumberland Strait, on the north shore Nova Scotia straddling Colchester and Pictou counties. It takes its name from Amet Island, a small island just beyond the mouth of the sound in Northu ...
on the
Northumberland Strait
The Northumberland Strait (French: ''détroit de Northumberland'') is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada. The strait is formed by Prince Edward Island and the gulf's eastern, southern, and western sho ...
at
River John, a village which takes its name from the river. The
Miꞌkmaq
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 nort ...
name is Kajeboogwek ("flowing through desert or solitary place"). An early name was Deception River. Its present name is believed to derive from Rivière Jaune, an Acadian name, though it may also derive from nearby Cap Jean (now Cape John).
DesBarres called it River John in his ''
Atlantic Neptune
The ''Atlantic Neptune'' is a monumental four volume atlas which was the most important collection of maps, charts and views of North America published in the eighteenth century. It was created by Colonel Joseph Frederick Wallet Des Barres.
Des ...
''.
Permanent settlement began in the late eighteenth century. In the nineteenth century, the river was an important scene of wooden ship building. In 1884, the largest ship ever built in Pictou County, the 1,687-ton ''Warrior'' was launched by the Kitchin yard, while rival Archibald MacKenzie launched the 1,574-ton ''Caldera'' that same year.
Communities situated on the lower reaches of the river include River John, Marshville and Welsford (formerly River John Village). The upper reaches in the
Cobequid Hills
The Cobequid Mountains, also sometimes referred to as the Cobequid Hills, is a Canadian mountain range located in Nova Scotia in the mainland portion of the province.
Geologic history
Geologically, the Cobequid Mountains are considered part of th ...
began to be settled in the early nineteenth century at West Branch River John, Diamond, Loganville, and Dalhousie Settlement. According to estimates by the Province of Nova Scotia, in 2011 there were 6,661 people resident within the River John watershed (i.e., all land draining into
Amet Sound Amet Sound is a large body of water, an embayment of the Northumberland Strait, on the north shore Nova Scotia straddling Colchester and Pictou counties. It takes its name from Amet Island, a small island just beyond the mouth of the sound in Northu ...
).
The River John is tidal for part of its length.
The picture of the tidal flat appears to have been taken from the formerly D McKenna property.
See also
*
List of rivers of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia's rivers all flow into the Atlantic Ocean through four unique watersheds: the Gulf of Maine, the Northumberland Strait, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and into the Atlantic Ocean itself.
Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine system includes ...
External links
Photo of blackfish stranding on the shores of River John, 1918
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:John
Rivers of Nova Scotia
Landforms of Pictou County