The strategic advantages of Fredericton — then known as St. Anne’s Point — were first developed in 1691 by then-governor of Acadia Joseph Robinau de Villebon. The Governor wanted to establish the capital of Acadia at the mouth of the Nashwaak River. The site provided deepwater anchorage for ships entering the region, and it could be defended more easily from the attacks of the British or New Englanders than a location closer to the Bay of Fundy.

Yet by 1698, de Villebon had abandoned Fort Nashwaak. Though secure in wartime, in times of peace the site was too isolated from the main routes of trade, commerce and communication to do well economically.

Following the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), the British took control of Nova Scotia, prompting many Acadians to again settle in the St. Anne area. However, their settlement didn’t last long: in the fall of 1758, Colonel Robert Monkton led British forces along the Saint John River, destroying the Acadian settlements in their path.

As the American Revolution came to a close in 1783, British presence in the area increased as Loyalists settled at St. Anne’s Point. Their new home was renamed “Fredericstown” after Prince Frederick, second son of King George III. The town became capital of the new province of New Brunswick, and the centrepiece of Loyalist society.

In 1794, a Loyalist, Judge Isaac Allen, bought Ekwpahak from the Wolastoqiyik for £2,000. The Wolastoqiyik only received £750 of that deal, as £500 was given to a priest to move the Wolastoqiyik to a different location, and the remaining money was given to them in merchandise. The Wolastoqiyik eventually moved to Kingsclear, southwest of present-day Fredericton. As the British continued to encroach on their territory, the Wolastoqiyik were increasingly forced to abandon their traditional way of life. Agriculture, sawmills and lumbering drove game away, making the winter hunt difficult. Unknown epidemics also took their toll on the community. Two other reserves were eventually established in the Fredericton area: St. Mary’s in 1867 and Oromocto in 1895.

www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca

Visit Fredericton, York, New Brunswick, Canada
Discover the people who lived there, the places they visited and the stories they shared.