Historical Places: Beaubears Island

Miramichi is a place rich with history and Beaubears Island is one of the many places that people can visit to learn about how our city came to be the way it is today.

Beaubears Island.

Map of the layout of the island.

As part of the city's tourism, Beaubears Island is open every summer for historical tours, where people will learn about Charles Deschampes de Boishébert who was a big part in settling the island when the Acadians lived there and the chronological events to how it came to be one of Canada's Parks. 

A fun thing that happens to attract the interest of visitors is the character tours. This is where actors from Miramichi dress up as some of the various characters who had a hand in making the island what is was back in its day and getting it to where it is now.

These are some of the characters you may see when you visit the island:

Commander Boishébert.

Widowed woman.

One of the owners of the island.

Shop keeper's daughter.

In addition to the island, there is a tourist information centre on the landing, where the boat leaves from, that is full of artifacts and the history of the island. 

Beaubears Interpretive Centre.

Inside the Interpretive Centre you will find information panels.

Panel on historic village of Nelson.

Panel on Nelson today.

Shipbuilding information area.

Panel on shipyard.

Panel on Acadian and Mi'kmaq life.

Panel on Acadian deportation.

Panel on Camp d' Espérance.

Panel on what happened to the Acadians.

Panel on the Mi'kmaq people.

Out on the landing there is a bit of information about Beaubears Island.

Beaubears Island is a Miramichi Landings area.

"Discover the unspoiled natural and cultural heritage of Miramichi's most storied archaeological treasure and Acadian landmark."

"Beaubears Island Shipbuilding National Historic Site of Canada

Beaubears Island was once the hub of Miramichi's wooden shipbuilding industry, alive with the sounds of ships being built and launched. Now a designated National Historic Site, Beaubears Island protects this fascinating past. As one of the oldest and most undisturbed shipbuilding sites in Canada, the landscape teems with untold stories that have yet to be unearthed."

"Boishébert National Historic Site of Canada

From 1755 to 1760 , Beaubears Island became a refuge for more than 3,500 Acadians expelled from the region by the British. Under the leadership of Charles Deschamps de Boishébert, refugees gathered at Wilsons Point and established Camp d'Espérance (Camp Hope). Unlike its name, however, it became a place of great despair: hundreds starved to death during a brutal winter. Today, the spirit of Acadie remains strong in the Miramichi through the descendants of those that survived."

"Incredible Natural Heritage

Beaubers Island is a natural jewel that slices the bustling Miramichi River into the southwest and northwest branches. Stepping onto this peaceful landscape is like entering another world. This quiet island remains much the same as the days when Mi'kmaq people gathered to trade and tell stories of the hunt, on the island they knew as Quoomeneegook "pine island"."

The boat that takes tourists over to the island.

To learn more about the island and its history, check out the Beaubears website at www.beaubearsisland.com.