Charlottetown
This morning we headed to Charlottetown for some grocery shopping.
Charlottetown population 58,000. It is both the largest city on and the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island. Named after Queen Charlotte, (as was our city of Charlotte NC) the wife of George III, Charlottetown was first incorporated as a town in 1855 and designated as a city in 1885. It was most famously the site of the Charlottetown Conference in 1864, the first gathering of Canadian statesmen to debate the proposed Canadian Confederation. From this, the city adopted as its motto "Birthplace of Confederation".
The first European settlers in the area were French. The city changed hands between the French and the British during the wars for control involving control of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and what is now the Quebec Province.
The Acadian expulsion
On November 17, 1775, the colony's new capital was ransacked by Massachusetts-based privateers, participants in the American Revolutionary War. During the attack, the colonial seal was stolen and several prisoners taken. In the first half of the 18th century, the Acadian population on the island remained small. Once the English started bringing in settlers in 1749, Acadians feeling threatened started moving to Prince Edward Island (which was still French territory known as Isle St. Jean). Acadians flocked to the island in the 1750’s, both before and after the 1755 deportations. By 1758, the Acadian population on the island was about 3400-5000. When Louisbourg fell in that year, the British claimed control of Isle Royale and Isle St. Jean. The decision was made to have another mass exile. Two-thirds of the Acadian population was deported directly to France. Most of the other third escaped to Quebec or fled to St. Pierre and Miquelon. A small contingent managed to hide out in the woods. When the war ended, the British found 30 Acadians that had manage to remain undetected. In 1768, a census was taken that found 203 Acadians on the island. They mainly worked in the fishing industry in the towns of Malpeque, Tracadie, Rustico, and St. Pierre. When the island became a British province the following year, the land titles were taken from the Acadians, and they became tenants. This caused many of them to pack up and leave.
We will return to Charlottetown later this week.
We took a road trip along the Northwestern coast of the island, visiting several coastal towns, planning our activities for the week. We managed to find a gelato shop along the way.
The towns and countryside scenery is amazing. It is green and lush, with some flowers we have never seen before, but more than that it is very well cared for. Many of the homes are several generations old, but are pristine with beautiful lawns and gardens. The countryside has expansive vistas of the water, smalll fishing villages and unique names it is beautiful beyond description.
The lawns were manicured. These "lawns" covered several acres around some of the homes, mile after mile of exquisitely maintained homes, along with flower and vegetable gardens.
There was no trash along the roads, and only a very few structures that were unkempt. Even the "trailer parks" were showplaces.
Later that evening we talked to the campground owner and he gave us some suggestions about music venues around the island. There are "kay lees" going on all over the island, virtually every night.
We may extend our visit here a few more days.
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