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

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, Canada. The

local service district Local service district may refer to these administrative units in Canada: * Local service district (New Brunswick) A local service district (LSD) was a provincial administrative unit for the provision of local services in the Canadian province o ...

of Escuminac took 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 unin ...

, 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 various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes. Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...

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'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...

, 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 (biology), 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 about 4,250 known species spread acros ...

. 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 and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

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

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

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 A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...

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 known 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 storm was the ...

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

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Escuminac had a population of 152 living in 76 of its 95 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 166. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

References

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

History

Demographics

See also

References