• Source: Bear River, Nova Scotia

Bear River is a community situated at the head of the tidewaters of the Bear River. The river itself is the border between the Annapolis and Digby counties of Nova Scotia and thus, splits the community so that half the community is in Annapolis County and the other half in Digby County.

The community is adjacent to the Bear River First Nation which administers the Bear River 6, 6A and 6B reserves.




History



Originally inhabited by the Mi'kmaq, the area was called "Eelsetkook", meaning "flowing along by high rocks." It was previously called "St. Anthony". It was also named "Imbert", after Simon Imbert, a Frenchman who commanded a relief ship for Port Royal in 1612. The name "Imbert" was gradually corrupted to "Bear". It is also occasionally referred to on maps as "Hillsburgh". This term is believed to be another corruption of "Imbert" or "Hebert", after Louis Hebert, an apothecary who accompanied Samuel de Champlain in 1604.
Bear River was an important shipbuilding location in the late 19th century. One of many large vessels built in the community was the brigantine Dei Gratia, the vessel which discovered the famous mystery ship Mary Celeste in 1872. The climate and soil conditions in the Bear River area are conducive to the growing of grapes and several vineyards have emerged. Bear River was home to the first solar aquatics wastewater management facility in North America; the facility ceased to function when the Municipality of the District of Digby re-routed waste water to the Smith's Cove treatment facility. After a few years of disuse, the community has made it into a community greenhouse. The community is known for its thriving artistic community, the largest per capita in Nova Scotia. There are many artist studios, shops and galleries in the downtown and immediate area. Crafts produced include clothing, woodwork, pottery, quilts, fabric arts, and an assortment of painted media.
The community is run by volunteers as there is no community government. The Bear River Board of Trade is the primary organization to pursue economic development and also maintains the waterfront park and Visitor Information Center. The Bear River Historical Society operates the Bear River Heritage Museum which is open through the summer and early fall with displays of historical photos, archival materials and artifacts of the rich history of the area. The Digby County Exhibition is held in Bear River each year.
The community is working to become an eco-community in its determination to remain low-tech, with no fast food, malls or box stores, and the exploration of alternative energy sources.




Notable residents


William M. Jones, soldier
Bob Snider, singer/songwriter




References






Further reading


Darlene A. Ricker, L'sitkuk: The Story of the Bear River Mi'kmaw Community, Roseway Publishing, 1997.
E. Foster Hall, editor, Heritage Remembered – The Story of Bear River, Bear River New Horizons Centre, ca. 1981
John MacLeod, A Far Away Place, 2014
Mike Parker, Frontier Town, 2015




External links


Bear River Board of Trade
• Source: Bear River (Nova Scotia)

The Bear River is a minor river in western Nova Scotia, Canada. Flowing from south to north, it is 40 kilometres (25 mi) long from its headwaters to its discharge into the Annapolis Basin, some 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) east of Digby. The river is tidal for the last 9.7 kilometres (6.0 mi) of its length. The community of Bear River (which today calls itself "The Tidal Village") is situated near the head of the tide where shipbuilding took place in the nineteenth century.
The river lies within an area long-occupied by native Mi'kmaq people, embodied today by members of the Bear River First Nation who still reside on the river. The native name for the river is L'sitkuk, (pronounced "elsetkook").
The area was settled by European settlers at nearby habitation at Port Royal at the start of the seventeenth century. Samuel de Champlain called it Rivière St. Antoine (St. Anthony's River) on his first map, but the name did not survive. In 1609 it appeared as Rivière Hébert (probably for Louis Hébert) on Lescarbot's map and the name held. It was altered following English occupation of the region probably in the late eighteenth century.

The river forms part of the boundary between Annapolis and Digby Counties. The steep forested slopes and natural environment, particularly in the lower reaches, have led to the nickname "The Switzerland of Nova Scotia" being applied to the river valley area. The deeply cut valley, hewn from the contact between slate bedrock on the west and granite on the east, is a drowned river valley of which Digby Gut on the Bay of Fundy forms the northern extreme.
The river is fed by several streams but even so, at low tide the mud flats, grasses and reeds are very visible. However, at high tide, the salt water from the basin flows in and fills the river to a height of up to 26 feet. There are two main tributaries which converge at the tide head, known as the East and West branches, and five smaller tributaries. The West Branch is now also called the Franklin River. The East Branch lies almost entirely within Annapolis County. The East Branch was once well known as a salmon river. One of the lakes in the watershed, now called Charlotte Lake, was at one time known as Salmon Lake. The East Branch flows out of a granite upland plateau about 7.2 kilometres (4.5 mi) south east of Mulgrave Lake, (formerly Big Lake and East Bear River Lake). The East Branch flows about 21.7 kilometres (13.5 mi) to its confluence with the West Branch. Beginning around 1950, hydroelectric power has been produced by impounding water in the upper watershed. Mulgrave Lake has been dammed and two additional dams now form head ponds for the Gulch Power Station in Bear River. Franklin River (Bear River West Branch) has its source at Lake Franklin located about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) southeast of the village. The 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) long Lake Jolly is situated along the river course.




Bridges


In addition to the railway bridge, built in 1912 and demolished in late 2011, there are two primary highway bridges which span the Bear River. The longest is the Bear River Bridge located on Highway 101 at the mouth of the river (which drains into the Annapolis Basin), approximately 6 km from the community. The second is located in downtown Bear River and connects the two halves of the village together. There are several shorter bridges further inland.




See also


List of rivers of Nova Scotia




References






External links


Pictures of the railway bridge

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Daftar tempat ski
• Titanic (film 1997)
• Bear River, Nova Scotia
• Bear River
• Bear River (Nova Scotia)
• Digby County, Nova Scotia
• Annapolis County, Nova Scotia
• List of rivers of Nova Scotia
• Bear River First Nation
• Bear River 6
• Petite Riviere Bridge, Nova Scotia
• Nova Scotia Power