For its first 200+ years, Prince Edward Island was known as Ile St. Jean. After the fall of Louisbourg and the treaty of 1763, it would remain English and was renamed Prince Edward Island
1758 to Today
After the island was cleared of
its inhabitants (though some had hidden away, and some made their way back),
England had it surveyed by Samuel Holland (map, right) in 1767 to divide it up for their own settlers.
The island was divided into 67 cantons and given to influential British.
The common settlers (such as the Acadians) were "renters" who had to pay
the owners a price. Some of the areas that contained Acadians were
cantons 16, 17, and 19. Early Acadian settlements were Tignish,
Mount Carmel, Miscouche, Egmont Bay, Rustico, St. Louis, and Souris.
Note: the island became Prince Edward Island in 1798.
In the early 1800s, Acadians made their way
to the present-day Evangeline region of PEI. Though at first they
were there illegally, some managed to purchase land as the years went by.
Sixty-one families (with surnames of Arsenault, Gallant, Richard, Bernard,
Poirier, Cormier, and Aucoin) were there in 1828. In 1852, the government
allowed Acadians to buy land in canton 15. That area continues to
be occupied by Acadian descendants, though the population has spread out
beyond the borders of that canton. Acadians who arrived there after 1830
often settled in cantons 14 and 16.
Over time, some of the Acadian areas lost
their French nature, though it still remains in places such as Mount Carmel,
Egmont Bay, and Wellington.
Today there are still some Acadian descendants on the island. The focal point of Acadian interest may be the Acadian Museum at Miscouche (on Route 2; GPS N46 25.944 W-063 51.936). It is open 9-6 M-F and 1-4 on Sundays. Admission is: Adult: $4.50, Student: $3.50, Family: $12.50.
In 2008, the La Société Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin held events to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the deportation of Acadians from the island. A monument at Port LaJoye was unveiled on Dec. 13, 2008 to commemorate that event. That day was chosen because it was the 250th anniversary of the sinking of the Duke William.
