Souris, Prince Edward Island
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Souris is a town in Kings County,
Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
, Canada. It is located near the northeastern tip of the province.


History

Souris was founded by
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 ...
in 1727 as a fishing settlement at the mouth of the Souris River. These early settlers experienced several plagues of field mice in the surrounding area during the 1720s-1760s which damaged crops. Souris is French for "mouse" and a mouse is the Town's Mascot. It is said that "a French vessel passing by the bay in the early 1700s was forced to cut through the waves of drowned mice and so gave the name to the area. The 1744 map of Sieur de la Roque names the bay, Havre a la Souris”. Earlier names also included: Colville Bay, Grand Haven, New Bristol, and Red Cliffs. The name likely also shares similar roots with the Souriquois and the Souris River. The French (Acadians) came to call the Micmacs the Souriquois, adopting the Indians' pidgin word for the trade language. "The term came from the
Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...
zurikoa (pronounced “surikoa”) meaning “that of the whites.” The -koa ending would be a Basque suffix denoting geographic origin and giving the word the meaning “people from Souris.” The Mi'kmaq (Mi'kmaw, Micmac or L'nu, “the people” in Mi'kmaq) were the first inhabitants in the area and had an encampment at the head of the Souris River. Several Acadian families arrived in 1740 as the first white settlers but were forced out by the British after the
Siege of Louisbourg (1758) The siege of Louisbourg was a pivotal operation of the Seven Years' War (known in the United States as the French and Indian War) in 1758 that ended the French colonial era in Atlantic Canada and led to the subsequent British campaign to cap ...
. In 1765, the British government divided the island into 67 lots, Souris being lot #45 and 20,000 acres. The first census was carried out in 1798 and did not include any settlers in Souris, despite 1996 government record stating that "Scottish settlers came to the area as early as 1772, and English and Irish settlers arrived around 1810".


20th century and beyond

Souris was incorporated into PEI on November 14, 1910. The town has many well-preserved historic buildings, including the Matthew and MacLean Building, Souris Customs House and Post Office, and the McQuaid Building. Souris has a well-developed harbor for fishing boats and boat repair. Since the 1960s, Souris has hosted an interprovincial
ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
terminal for the service to
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
's
Magdalen Islands The Magdalen Islands (french: Îles de la Madeleine ) are a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of . While part of the Province of Quebec, the islands are in fact closer to the Maritime provinces and Newfoundland th ...
. The MV ''Madeleine II'' is operated by the Coopérative de transport maritime et aérien (CTMA).


Geography

As of 2016, the land area is 3.47 square kilometres. The Town of Souris website states that "Prince Edward Island is part of the Appalachian Region which runs from southern Quebec and Gaspésie and includes New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. There are many physiographic units with a peneplain that slopes from the highest point in the northwest down in a southeastward manner towards the ocean. The Prince Edward Island physiographic region is part of the Maritime Plain. The Maritime Plain runs around the coast of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia from the south shore of Chaleur Bay and includes Prince Edward Island and Îles-de-la-Madeleine."


Economy

The economy of the area is dominated by the seasonal industries of fishing and oysters, agriculture and tourism. There are also several industrial businesses and a good retail sector. The town is home to banks, pharmacies, cafés, restaurants, gas stations, a grocery store, and other independent businesses.


Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by
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 ...
, Souris 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. In 2016, persons aged 14 years and under made up 13.7% of the population, persons 15-64 made up 57.3%, and those aged 65 years and over made up 33.6%. In 2016, 93% of the population had English as their first official language compared to 94.5% for the province as a whole. The same year, 88% of the population were reported to be Canadian citizens in the census. The ethnic origins from most to least listed are: Canadian, Scottish, Irish, English, French, German, North European, Indigenous, Guatemalan, Mexican, and Czech. Roughly 30-34% of the population has a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree, and roughly 34% of the total labour force population aged 15 years and over was reported to work in natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations, more specifically in the industry categories of agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting.


Education

Souris is home to two schools, serving grades K-12.
Souris Regional School Souris Regional School, is a Canadian public school located in Souris, Prince Edward Island. The school instructs students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. The school serves the north eastern part of Kings County. Souris Regional School has ...
teaches students from grade K-12. Ecole La Belle Cloche is Souris' only Francophone school and teaches students from grades K-12. École La-Belle-Cloche is situated in what used to be Rollo Bay Consolidated School, three minutes west of Souris in Rollo Bay.


Sports

Souris has venues for soccer, baseball, basketball, rugby, hockey, football, ringette and other similar sports. There are also several parks in Souris. Kitesurfing is popular in Souris and nearby beaches. Souris Beach is an intermediate-level beach, and has good wave conditions when winds blow from the Southwest. Little Harbour, Basin Head, and other nearby beaches generally have good conditions in southwest and southeast winds.


References


External links

* {{Authority control Communities in Kings County, Prince Edward Island Towns in Prince Edward Island Populated places established in 1727