Shediac (official in both languages; ''Shédiac'' is colloquial French) is a heavily
Acadian
The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...
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 ...
. The town is home to the famous
Parlee Beach
Parlee Beach Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Pointe-du-Chêne, New Brunswick, Canada.
Geography
Parlee Beach Provincial Park is located in eastern Westmorland County fronting the Northumberland Strait on the northeast side of P ...
and is known as the "Lobster Capital of the World". It hosts an annual festival every July which promotes its ties to
lobster
Lobsters are a family (biology), family (Nephropidae, Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs ...
fishing. At the western entrance to the town is a 90-ton sculpture called ''
The World's Largest Lobster
''The World's Largest Lobster'' (french: Le plus grand homard du monde) is a concrete and reinforced steel statue in Shediac, New Brunswick, Canada sculpted by Canadian artist Winston Bronnum. The statue is 11 metres long and 5 metres tall, weig ...
''. It is believed that
chiac
Chiac (or ''Chiak'', ''Chi’aq''), is a Creole variety of Acadian French spoken mostly in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. Chiac is often characterized and distinguished from other forms of Acadian French by its borrowings from English, it ...
, a well-known Frenchaccent, was named after Shediac.
Etymology
Shediac was originally called La Batture. Its name was later changed to Shediac in reference to its position at the basin of the Shediac River. The name "Shediac" itself is derived from the Micmac word ''Esedeiik'', which means "which comes from far away", possibly in reference to the
Shediac Bay
Shediac (official in both languages; ''Shédiac'' is colloquial French) is a heavily Acadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. The town is home to the famous Parlee Beach and is known as the "Lobster Capital of the World". It hosts ...
or the current of the
Petitcodiac river
The Petitcodiac River is a river in south-eastern New Brunswick, Canada. Referred to as the "chocolate river" by local tourist businesses, it is characterized by its brown mud floor and brown waters. The river has a meander length of and is lo ...
Shediac Bay
Shediac (official in both languages; ''Shédiac'' is colloquial French) is a heavily Acadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. The town is home to the famous Parlee Beach and is known as the "Lobster Capital of the World". It hosts ...
, a sub-basin of 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 ...
.
Its topography is relatively flat and its soil is mostly composed of sedimentary rocks dating from the Pennsylvanian. Shediac enjoys a
continental climate
Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing som ...
.
The town is located southwest and adjacent to the community of Pointe-du-Chêne, once the eastern terminus of the
European and North American Railway
The European and North American Railway (E&NA) is the name for three historic Canadian and American railways which were built in New Brunswick and Maine.
The idea of the E&NA as a single system was conceived at a railway conference in Portland, M ...
as well as a stopover for
Pan-Am
Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...
's transatlantic "clipper" air service featuring large seaplanes.
Imperial Airways
Imperial Airways was the early British commercial long-range airline, operating from 1924 to 1939 and principally serving the British Empire routes to South Africa, India, Australia and the Far East, including Malaya and Hong Kong. Passenger ...
' flying boat service to
Foynes
Foynes (; ) is a town and major port in County Limerick in the midwest of Ireland, located at the edge of hilly land on the southern bank of the Shannon Estuary. The population of the town was 520 as of the 2016 census.
Foynes's role as seap ...
in Ireland also used the facilities.
History
Hundreds of years ago, 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 ...
encampment of "Es-ed-ei-ik" was one of the major camps in southeast New Brunswick. The Mi'kmaq word "Es-ed-ei-ik" which means "running far in" (in reference to the tide, which has a long range over the shallow, sandy beaches) eventually transformed into Gédaique.
Acadians
The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the des ...
first arrived at Shediac in 1751 as a result of the
Acadian Exodus
The Acadian Exodus (also known as the Acadian migration) happened during Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755) and involved almost half of the total Acadian population of Nova Scotia deciding to relocate to French controlled territories. The thr ...
from peninsular
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) 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. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
. During the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
Cocagne, New Brunswick
Cocagne () is a Canadian community, formerly part of an eponymous local service district (LSD) and later incorporated rural community, in Kent County, New Brunswick.
History
It was named after Cockaigne, a mythical paradise in medieval Fre ...
. In the autumn of 1755, Boishebert established himself on the south shore of Cocagne Bay, a place known as Boishebert's Camp. The following year, Boishebert moved to
Miramichi, New Brunswick
Miramichi () is the largest city in northern New Brunswick, Canada. It is situated at the mouth of the Miramichi River where it enters Miramichi Bay. The Miramichi Valley is the second longest valley in New Brunswick, after the Saint John River ...
, specifically to
Beaubears Island
Beaubears Island (french: Île Boishébert) is an island at the confluence of the Northwest Miramichi and Southwest Miramichi Rivers near Miramichi, New Brunswick. The island is most famous for being the site of an Acadian refugee camp during th ...
. After the war, Acadians returned to the region in 1767.
Today many
francophones
French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the la ...
use the spelling Shédiac; however, the town's name upon its incorporation did not feature an accented "e", and correspondingly the official geographic name for the community is Shediac.
Shediac Bay Yacht Club
Shediac Bay Yacht Club is on the Register of 'Canada's Historic Places' for being the location of a local wharf for nearly a century. The previous Shediac Bay Yacht Club House was designed by Roméo Savoie.
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, Shediac had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Income (2015)
Mother tongue (2016)
Notable people
*
Georges-Antoine Belcourt
Georges-Antoine Belcourt (April 22, 1803 – May 31, 1874), also George Antoine Bellecourt, was a French Canadian Roman Catholic diocesan priest and missionary. Born in Baie-du-Febvre, Quebec, Belcourt was ordained in 1827. He established missi ...
(1803–1874), missionary
*
Edna May Williston Best
Edna May Williston Best (Sexton) (June 25, 1880 – December 14, 1923) was a social activist and war worker born in Shediac, New Brunswick and died in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
May Best was orphaned at an early age and raised by family in Boston. ...
(1880–1923), feminist
* Emile Duprée (1936 – ), former professional wrestler and promoter
*
René Duprée
René Emile Goguen (born December 15, 1983), better known by his ring name René Duprée (; ja, レネ・デュプリ, Rene Dyupuri) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah where he is a former two-time GHC Tag ...
(1983 – ), professional wrestler, former
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
wrestler, son of Émile Dupree
*
Muriel McQueen Fergusson
Muriel McQueen Fergusson, (May 26, 1899 – April 11, 1997) was a Canadians, Canadian activist, judge and politician. Fergusson served in the Senate of Canada and the first woman Speaker of the Senate of Canada, Speaker of the Senate. She is ...
(1899–1987), Canadian senator
*
Gord Gallant
Gordon Gallant (born October 27, 1950) is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 273 games in the World Hockey Association. He played for the Quebec Nordiques, Minnesota Fighting Saints
The Minnesota Fighting Saints was the name ...
(1950 – ), professional hockey player
*
Placide Gaudet
Placide Gaudet (November 19, 1850 – November 9, 1930) was a Canadian historian, educator, genealogist and journalist. He signed his name as Placide P. Gaudet. Gaudet is noted for his research into the history and genealogy of the Acadian pe ...
(1850–1930), journalist, historian
*
Daniel Lionel Hanington
Daniel Lionel Hanington (June 27, 1835 – May 5, 1909) was a New Brunswick, Canada politician and jurist.
He was born at Shediac, New Brunswick, the son of Daniel Hanington, and was educated there and at Mount Allison Academy in Sackvil ...
(1835–1909), former Premier of New Brunswick
* Rosa Laricchiuta (1974 – ), professional singer
*
Joseph E. Leblanc
Joseph E. LeBlanc (May 28, 1916 – May 23, 1979) was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1952 to 1974 as member of the Liberal party.
References
1916 births
1979 deaths
New Brunswick Libera ...
(born 1916), politician
* Samuel Lee (1756–1805), judge, politician
*
Anna Malenfant
Anna Malenfant (October 16, 1902 – June 15, 1988) was a Canadian singer, educator and composer.
Early years and career
She was born in Shediac, New Brunswick. Malenfant began her career with a performance of ''The Mikado''in Moncton. Sh ...
(1905–1988), singer, educator and composer
* Edward R. McDonald (1872–1952), lawyer, politician, mayor, inventor of the Crossword Game, 1926
*
Olivier-Maximin Melanson
Olivier-Maximin Melanson (July 2, 1854 – July 7, 1926) was an Acadian businessman and politician in the New Brunswick, Province of New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Westmorland County in the Legislati ...
(1854–1926), Acadian businessman and politician
* A. P. Paterson (1870–1957), politician
*
Scott Pellerin
Scott Jaque-Frederick Pellerin (born January 9, 1970) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League between 1992 and 2004. Pellerin is currently a NHL scout with the Arizona Coyotes as of 9/28/21. ...
(b. 1970), former professional hockey player
*
Pascal Poirier
Pascal Poirier (February 15, 1852 – September 25, 1933) was a Canadian author, lawyer, and the all-time longest-serving Senator.
Born in Shediac, New Brunswick, in a big family, he attended College Saint Joseph in Memramcook, New Brunswic ...
Wes Sheridan
Wesley J. Sheridan (born 20 January 1960) is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Kensington-Malpeque in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 2007 to 2015. He was a member of the Liberal Party.
A nati ...
, Canadian politician
*
Albert James Smith
Sir Albert James Smith (March 12, 1822 – June 30, 1883) was a New Brunswick politician and opponent of Canadian confederation. Smith's grandfather was a United Empire Loyalist who left Massachusetts to settle in New Brunswick after the Am ...
(1822–1883), former Premier of New Brunswick
*
Ernest A. Smith
Ernest Albert Smith (June 20, 1864 – June 1, 1952) was a dentist, merchant and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Westmorland County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1916 to 1920 as a Liberal member. ...
(1864 – ?), Canadian politician
*
Elsie Wayne
Elsie Eleanore Wayne (née Fairweather; April 20, 1932 – August 23, 2016) was a Canadian politician who served as a Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament for Saint John from 1993 to 2004. She was born in Shediac, New Brunswick.
Politi ...
Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
Breaux Bridge (;Jack A. Reynolds. "Breaux Bridge" entry i"Louisiana Placenames of Romance Origin."LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses #7852. 1942. p. 77. french: Pont-Breaux; frc, Pont-(de)-Breaux ) is a small city in St. Martin Parish, Loui ...
since 1970Clément Cormier, « Les Acadiens de la Louisiane et nous », Les Cahiers, Société historique acadienne, vol. 17, no 1, janvier-mars 1986, p. 13
See also
*
List of lighthouses in New Brunswick
This is a list of lighthouses in New Brunswick.
Lighthouses
See also
*List of lighthouses in Canada
References
External links
New Brunswick Lighthouses''Lighthouses Friends''. Retrieved 18 February 2017
List of Lights, Buoys and Fog Signal ...
*
List of communities in New Brunswick
This is a list of communities in New Brunswick, a province in Canada. For the purposes of this list, a community is defined as either an incorporated municipality, an Indian reserve, or an unincorporated community inside or outside a municipalit ...
*
Media in Moncton This is a list of the television stations, radio stations, magazines and newspapers in Moncton, New Brunswick.
Television stations
Radio stations
Major radio broadcasting companies in the Greater Moncton area.
* Canadian Broadcasting Corporati ...
*
Greater Moncton
Greater Moncton () is a census metropolitan area comprising Moncton, Riverview, and Dieppe in New Brunswick, Canada.
Population
Greater Moncton has a population of 157,717 (2021). Migration is mostly from other areas of New Brunswick (especiall ...
*
Greater Shediac Greater ShediacGreater Shediac Official Website. is the name given to the area encompassing the
Webster. A History of Shediac. 1928 * Belliveau, John Edward (2003) ''Running Far In: The Story of Shediac''. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Nimbus Publishing Ltd,