Becaguimec Stream facts for kids

The Becaguimec Stream is a small river in New Brunswick, Canada. It flows into the larger Saint John River. This stream starts in the hilly, wooded areas where Carleton County, Canada and York County, Canada meet. The land around it is next to other rivers like the Southwest Miramichi River, the Nashwaak River, and the Nackawic Stream.

What Makes the Becaguimec Special?

The Becaguimec Stream is made up of three main parts: the North Branch, the South Branch, and the Cold Stream.

Where Do the Branches Start?

The Cold Stream begins from springs on the sides of Skedaddle Ridge and Garvie Mountain near Knowlesville. The North Branch starts from three small lakes: Malcolm Lake, Long Lake, and Owl Lake. These lakes are close to the upper part of the Nashwaak River. The South Branch flows from Becaguimec Lake, which is about 13 kilometers southeast of Cloverdale.

The Becaguimec Forks

The place where the North and South Branches meet is called the Becaguimec Forks. This spot is just northwest of where Provincial Highway 104 and Provincial Highway 575 cross. After this meeting point, the stream is sometimes called the Mainstream. The nearby community even got its name from this part of the stream!

Between the forks and Mill Brook near Ashland, the stream flows slowly and winds a lot. It often changes its path because of floods. As the stream gets closer to the Saint John River, it flows faster. There are some interesting spots with swirling water (eddies) and small rapids (Class 2 rapids) along this part. One famous spot is called Hell's Eddy, about 2 miles before the stream joins the Saint John River. The Becaguimec Stream finally flows into the Saint John River at the town of Hartland, which is famous for having the world's longest covered bridge.

Fishing in the Stream

You can find brown trout and rainbow trout in the upper parts of the Becaguimec Stream. The best time to go fishing for trout is from mid-May to mid-June. This is after the snow melts and the water clears up, but before the summer heat makes the water too warm.

A Look at the Stream's History

The Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) people were the first to name this river. They called it "Becaguimec" because it meant "the place where the salmon lie." This name came from the many salmon that used to gather at the mouth of the stream. However, after the Mactaquac Dam was built in 1967, the number of salmon in the Saint John River dropped a lot.

Early Settlers and Communities

People have likely lived near the mouth of the Becaguimec for thousands of years because the land is very good for farming. A hill above the stream's south bank, called Hagerman's Hill, was a great place to look out over the Saint John River.

One of the first records of people settling here permanently shows that in 1790, a Wolastoqiyik man named Governor Toma was "tilling his cornfield" at the stream's mouth. The first European settler, William Orser, arrived in 1797. More families soon followed, and a community grew, known as Mouth of 'Guimac. This community was later renamed Hartland in 1860. Other communities in the Becaguimec Valley, like Rockland and Coldstream, were started around 1825 and 1826.

Bridges Over the Becaguimec

There used to be three covered bridges crossing the Becaguimec Stream, but only one is still standing today. The Mangrum or Stormdale Bridge, built in 1909, burned down in 2011. The Adair Bridge, built in 1948, burned down in 2009. Only the Ellis Bridge (North Becaguimec No. 4) remains.

A concrete road bridge (New Brunswick Highway 105) crosses the stream in Hartland. Next to it is a railway bridge that is now part of The Great Trail, a path for walking and biking. In 1922, an older steel bridge was destroyed when logs that were held back by a dam broke free during heavy rains and crashed into it. The railway bridge was even pushed out of place by more than a meter!

Mills Along the Stream

It's not clear when the first water-powered mill for grinding grain (a grist mill) was built at the mouth of the Becaguimec. However, records show that this mill burned down in 1853. A new grist mill and a sawmill were then built by Benjamin Jewett sometime between 1853 and 1872.

Later, in 1887, Alexander Shaw leased the mill and added a steam engine the next year. Jewett eventually sold the mill to Al Sawyer, who was a lumber merchant. Under Sawyer, the mill grew and started sending lumber directly to St. Stephen by train. Sawyer sold the mill in 1905 to Fred E. Sayre. His son, John Sayre, took over the mill. Even though the mill was rebuilt in 1927 after a fire in 1926, John Sayre closed it down in 1928.

Other Ways to Spell the Name

You might see the name of the stream spelled in different ways, like:

• Becaguimic
• Becaguimac
• Bekagoomik
• Abekagumic

Images for kids

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  North Becaguimec No. 4 (Ellis)