Fort Gaspareaux facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Gaspareaux |
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| Port Elgin, New Brunswick, Canada | |
Site of Fort Gaspareaux in 2006
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| Type | Fort |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | France (1751–1755), United Kingdom (1755–1756) |
| Official name: Fort Gaspareaux National Historic Site of Canada | |
| Designated: | 1920 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1751 |
| In use | 1751-1756 |
Fort Gaspareaux was a French fort built in 1751. It was located near the Gaspareaux River, close to what is now Port Elgin, New Brunswick, Canada. This fort was important because it sat on the Isthmus of Chignecto, a narrow strip of land connecting Nova Scotia to the rest of North America.
The French later called it Fort Monckton. Today, it is a National Historic Site of Canada. You can visit the site and see where the fort once stood, overlooking the Northumberland Strait.
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Why Was Fort Gaspareaux Built?
After the British took over Acadia (now Nova Scotia) in 1710, many French-speaking Acadians and Mi'kmaq people still lived there. In 1749, a new conflict began, known as Father Le Loutre's War. This happened when the British started building a new town called Halifax.
The Mi'kmaq people felt the British were breaking earlier agreements. To protect their new settlements, the British built forts in places like Halifax, Dartmouth, and Lunenburg. They also built forts in major Acadian areas such as Windsor and Grand Pre.
The French saw Halifax as a threat. They worried the British might use the Saint John River route to attack Québec. This route was the only land path between Louisbourg and Québec.
To protect this important route, the French built three forts. They built Fort Gaspareaux at Baie Verte in 1751. They also built Fort Beausejour at Chignecto and Fort Menagoueche at the mouth of the Saint John River.
Fort Gaspareaux was like a fortified storage building. It was built by order of the Marquis de la Jonquière, a French governor. It served as a stop for travelers and supplies between Fort Beauséjour and the cities of Louisbourg and Québec.
The fort was surrounded by a strong wooden fence (palisade) and a ditch. It measured about 60 meters (180 feet) on each side. Each corner had a small building called a blockhouse, which held small cannons.
At first, people traveled between Fort Gaspareaux and Fort Beauséjour using an old trail. But in 1754, a road was built to connect the two forts. During the summer, ships could also travel by sea to Québec, Louisbourg, and France.
Fort Gaspareaux During the Seven Years' War
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The Seven Years' War (also called the French and Indian War) began in 1756. But fighting had already started in North America. In 1755, the British captured Fort Beauséjour. Right after this, they sent 300 soldiers to take Fort Gaspareaux.
Colonel John Winslow led the British troops. Captain Villeray was in charge of Fort Gaspareaux for the French. The British quickly took control of the fort. They renamed it Fort Monckton after a British officer named Robert Monckton. An English group of soldiers then guarded the fort.
In the spring of 1756, Mi'kmaw fighters attacked a group of soldiers from Fort Monckton who were gathering wood. Nine soldiers were killed in this ambush. Their graves are in a small military cemetery at the fort. The British left the fort later that same year.
Fort Gaspareaux Today
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In the 1930s, a stone monument was put up to remember the fort. Today, the site has a ditch that shows where the fort's walls once stood. Inside the ditch, there used to be a wooden fence.
There is also a small cemetery at the site. The writing on the gravestones is now hard to read. In 1972, a light structure was built there, which is not manned by anyone.
Images for kids
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Copy of French Map, c. 1753 by Louis Franquet, (inset) Nova Scotia Archives
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Copy of French Map, c. 1752. (inset) Nova Scotia Archives
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Fort Gaspereau by Charles Morris (inset of A chart of the sea coasts of the peninsula of Nova Scotia, 1755)
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