Heron Island (New Brunswick) facts for kids
Heron Island is a long island, about 7.15 kilometers (4.4 miles) in length. It's located in the Baie des Chaleurs, a large bay between New Brunswick and Quebec. The island is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from New Mills, New Brunswick, and across from Carleton-sur-Mer, Quebec. You can only reach the island by boat at high tide from a special dock on its south side. Today, Heron Island is a protected area, managed by the New Brunswick government. There's also an old burial ground used by the Mi'kmaq people near the northwest part of the island.
Island History
Early Days and Ownership
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Long ago, the Mi'kmaq people called this island těsǔnǔgěk. They didn't live there all year round when the first European settlers arrived. However, a man named Mr. Bernard and his family used to spend summers there in the 1930s, making baskets from ash tree branches.
Around 1770, a priest named Abbé Joseph-Mathurin Bourg was offered the island. He was the first Acadian priest and helped bring peace between the Mi'kmaq people and the new settlers. Sir Richard Hughes, who was the Governor, gave him the island as a thank you. But Abbé Bourg was too busy with his church work and never actually took the island. So, the land became available for other settlers, including people loyal to Britain during the American Revolution, known as Loyalists.
Life on the Island
The first settlers came to Heron Island around 1850. They built homes and eventually a school. The last teacher at the island school was Miss Myrtle Cook, and the school closed around 1920.
Life on the island was very self-sufficient. This meant the islanders grew and found almost everything they needed. They were even able to avoid the difficulties of the Great Depression because they produced their own food and goods.
The island had rich soil, and its 12 farms grew plenty of food. They raised pigs, chickens, and cows. Wild raspberries and gooseberries also grew there. The waters around the island were full of food too. The north side had mussel bars, and the south side had clam beds. Islanders could fish for cod, mackerel, salmon, and lobster. They also hunted geese, ducks, and even chicken hawks.
The LaPointe Family
The last person born on Heron Island was Georgette Backs (whose maiden name was LaPointe). She was born on August 4, 1938. Georgette later wrote a book about her parents, George and Stella LaPointe, and her ten brothers and sisters.
George LaPointe was a distant relative of Abbé Joseph-Mathurin Bourg. George and Stella got married in the United States after George returned from World War I. They first lived in New Mills, New Brunswick. In 1921, George became the lighthouse keeper on Heron Island and moved his family there. In 1940, the family left the island, and George went to serve in World War II.
Georgette Backs passed away on November 10, 2017, in Mississauga, Ontario. Her ashes were scattered on Heron Island, connecting her to her birthplace forever.
