Skmaqn-Port-la-Joye-Fort Amherst National Historic Site - Parks Canada (Episode 45)

 Skmaqn-Port-la-Joye-Fort Amherst National Historic site was home to Mi'kmaq, French, Acadian, and British over its long and rich history. Skmagn, meaning "waiting place," served as a protective fort for Prince Edward Island.

Episode Transcript

Missy Rentz (00:01):
Let's journey to a park whose natives referred to
it as a waiting place andultimately served as the
protective fort for the island.
It was the home to the Mi'kmaq,French, Acadian, and British
over its long and rich history.
Join me as we exploreSkamaqn-Port-la-Joye-Fort
Amherst National Historic Site.

(00:22):
I'm your host, Missy Rents, andthis is the Parks podcast.
I'm excited to welcome EthainArsenault, who is the Visitor
Experience Team leadSkmaqn-Port-la-Joye-Fort Amherst
National Historic Site at ParksCanada.
Ethain, welcome to the Parkspodcast.

Ethain Arsenault (00:40):
Thank you very much for having me, Missy.
It's a pleasure to be here.

Missy Rentz (00:43):
I start each episode talking about stats of
parks and historic sites, so I'mgonna start that with this
location.
Skmaqn-Port-la-Joye-Fort Amherstis located on Rocky Point,
prince Edward Island.
The site was established in1958.
It's 224 acres and some reallyinteresting facts.

(01:06):
Skmaqn-Port-la-Joye-Fort Amherstwas established in 1720 by the
French.
It's the site of majordeportation of the French and
Acadians.
When the British took over theisland, the area served as the
seat of government for theisland until 1768.
It's.
It got a six kilometer or a 3.7mile trail system and Skmaqn,

(01:30):
which means"waiting place" inthe Mi'kmaq language, was added
to the official name of the sitein 2018 to reflect the role of
the Mi'kmaq people in thehistory of the site, which I
think is so important.
And I think one thing the wholepark system does on Prince
Edward Island is embrace.

(01:51):
The many different cultures andit's a wonderful place to visit.

Ethain Arsenault (01:57):
That's definitely something we have
been working hard on over thelast few decades is including
Epekwitnewaq Mi'kmaq, so Mi'kmaqfrom PEI into Parks Canada,
places.
Of course they've always beenhere.
But we have been working moreand more closely with them in
the presentation andadministration of Parks Canada,

(02:17):
places here on PEI.
Excellent pronunciation ofSkmaqn-Port-la-Joye-Fort Amherst
By the way, Missy, very well

Missy Rentz (02:24):
you.
Thank you.
I have been practicing it.
It's not easy.
Okay, let, there's a lot to talkabout.
This site has a lot of history.
Why is it important that it is ahistoric site and part of the
Parks Canada system?

Ethain Arsenault (02:40):
Yeah, so it is a site that has many stories and
we already alluded to a few ofthem.
So as you said in your preamblethis was the original
administrative capital of what'snow Prince Rhode Island under
the English and French regimes.
So in 1721 the Frenchestablished Port-la-Joye here in

(03:03):
Prince Edward Island.
And it was home to the Frenchadministrative capital, but also
to quite a population of Acadiansettlers here as well.
And when these two Frenchspeaking peoples were in the
area they entered into analliance with PEI Mi'kmaq with
Epekwitnewaq Mi'kmaq and everyyear at Skmaqn-Port-la-Joye-Fort

(03:25):
Amherst, they would cometogether and.
Have ceremonies and exchangegifts and have feasts and renew
their alliance.
It was also, as you said, thefirst capital of the British St.
John's Island originally, butPrince Edward Island and
remained that for about 10years.

Missy Rentz (03:44):
Was it friendly?

Ethain Arsenault (03:46):
Was the interaction between all these
people's friendly?
I would not say so.
No.
No, unfortunately.
It seems that the interactionsbetween Mi'kmaq and French were,
for the most part friendly.
There was a formal alliancebetween those peoples, and
certainly between the Acadiansand the Mi'kmaq as well.
But when, of course, in thesedays the English and the French

(04:08):
were competing for control overNorth America and when the
fortress of Lewisburg fell in1758, the English came to
Port-la-Joye and took it over bymilitary force and ended up
deporting the Frenchinhabitants.

Missy Rentz (04:27):
When I ask that, 'cause when, certainly when I
read the panels and all of theinformation when I was there and
as you're talking and it's oh,they get together with a feast
and all that stuff and I thinkthere's this tone of like
acceptance or willingness tocollaborate and co-exist.
But it's sticky and nasty andcan be tough to blend cultures,

(04:51):
which I guess in the end, itwasn't blending.
It was, the English and theFrench were really more
forceful.

Ethain Arsenault (04:57):
It's certainly a complex story and as you say,
it was certainly not alwayspeaceful.
So at the time in 1758 when theEnglish took over Port-la-Joye
and it became Fort Amherst,there was somewhat, over 4,000
Acadians living on the island atthat time.
And so when the English tookover and decided they would

(05:19):
deport the French speakingpeople, mostly Acadians.
Some 3000 were assembled atPaleo and put on ships and sent
for the most part back totowards France.
And we have a monument on thesite now that speaks to that
event because unfortunatelysomething like half of those
people did not make the journey.

(05:41):
It is quite a somber place, andit is actually the site of an
event that we're gonna be havingthere in a couple of months.
Happens every year on December13th, which is Le jour du
souvenir acadien, the AcadianRemembrance Day that
commemorates that event.
But at the same time, there'salways this balance of stories
because when the deportation washappening we had the English

(06:04):
deporting folks, but at the sametime the Mi'kmaq allies of the
French were helping to hide someAcadian families in the woods.
And some managed to escape inthat way.

Missy Rentz (06:13):
In my notes I talked about how it was in 2018
that you added, the history ofthe Mi'kmaq.
So why, what are you doing nowto help tell that story and
showcase that history?

Ethain Arsenault (06:28):
Yeah, that's a really good question.
So we do a lot of differentthings.
We work closely withEpekwitnewaq Mi'kmaq and we
actually co-manage not just ourhistoric site, but the whole
field unit, but we co-manage ournational historic site.
With PEI, Mi'kmaq.
And we have things like all ofour panels that we put up,

(06:49):
interpretive panels way findingare now in three languages.
So we have Mi'kmaq, French, andEnglish.
We have produced a video thatyou can see if you come and
visit our site, go to thevisitor center called"Woven
Stories" and hear the story ofthe four cultures that have
lived on the site.
And hear snippets of each of thelanguages inside of that video.

(07:12):
And of course, we have certaindemonstrations and interpretive
activities on throughout thesummer.

Missy Rentz (07:17):
Yeah, I think when I was there I missed it by one
day, but there was an eveningevent that was, I was really.
Excited about, and I just missedmy schedule.
I love that you showcase a lotof that culture.
Then when the French arrived, Ithink I read there were three
boats, like some 300 peoplecame.
Why did they wanna come and wasit like they had scoped it out

(07:38):
or what was the appeal of comingto the island?

Ethain Arsenault (07:42):
Yeah, it's a good question.
So people came Port-la-Joyeunder the French regime for
different reasons.
So around this time, of course,the fortress of Lewisburg
,Louisbourg and what's now CapeBreton was the major French
administrative and military sitein Atlanta, Canada.
And I don't know if you or yourlisteners have ever been to

(08:02):
Lewisburg but it's a beautifulsite, but fairly stark, a lot of
barren rock in that environment.
And if you have to feed a bigpopulation in the garrison, it's
a hard place to firm.
So a place that you could easilysail to that had an excellent
harbor with excellent farmlandwas very attractive for the
French administration.

(08:24):
So people came and saw abusiness opportunity, and when
the French administration cameover and set up a capital, it
became an attractive place forother people to follow.
So many of the Acadians thatwould've came through Paul EOIs
and settled there or movedfarther on up.
What they called that if Yel GenWest or the Hillsborough River

(08:44):
today and settled on its shoresthey were fleeing the British in
what's now Nova Scotia.
So they were looking for betterenvironments to raise their
families.

Missy Rentz (08:56):
Okay.
Okay.
And then it wasn't long beforethe British arrived and they
took over with the massdeportations of the French and
Acadians.
And it was under the Britishcontrol where it became a fort
which you definitely see theremains of that on the site now.

Ethain Arsenault (09:13):
That's correct.
So if you come to the site andyou walk onto the grounds, you
will see the grassy earthworksof the old British Ford and you
can walk right into them andhave beautiful views over the
Charlottetown Harbor.
But you could also if you are amilitary buff, see why you might
want a fort there at the sitewhere this excellent harbor
comes down into a narrows.

Missy Rentz (09:35):
And so were they was it a, an area that was under
attack?
There needed to be the fortthere during that time.

Ethain Arsenault (09:43):
The fort was established both under the
French and the English becausethey were used to having
tensions between English andFrench.
The area had been traded severaltimes before 1758 between the
English and the French was givenback through treaties and that
kind of a thing.
But the other thing that theywere worried about were
privateers.
From places like New England.

(10:05):
And it turned out that was awell-founded fear as they showed
up one time.
And s Skima and EOIs FortAmherst became the site of the
only battle fought on PrinceEdward Island.

Missy Rentz (10:16):
Okay.
Private tier, just privatepeople who wanted to take over.
Is that the right interpretationof that phrase?

Ethain Arsenault (10:22):
So these were folks who would've been employed
to some degree by the British,or at least encouraged by the
British, and would've come up towreak havoc among the smaller
French speaking settlements inthis area of the world.
And so a few ships came into theharbor and managed to drive out
the defenders.
Who fled up river reassembledthemselves, met up with some

(10:45):
Acadian Mi'kmaq allies, and thenfought their way back down the
river and recaptured the fort.

Missy Rentz (10:51):
Okay there was the fort and what is their, you
mentioned a little bit about theEarth, earth and works, but what
can people see there now that,that resembles the fort?

Ethain Arsenault (11:01):
Yeah, so what you see now is the earth and
work.
So you'll see kind of grasscovered walls.
You'll see some kind of divotsin the ground where buildings
would've stood inside of thewalls and.
If you walk down the hill fromthe fort towards the coastline,
there's the site of one of thefirst Acadian houses, and you

(11:21):
can still see where that was 300years ago.
The person who lived there wasnamed Michel Ashe Z, and he
became one of.
The biggest ancestors of Frenchspeaking people on Prince Edward
Island.
So much so that people with hislast name Gallant Now, or GAAN
in French that's the second mostcommon surname on Prince Edward

(11:44):
Island.

Missy Rentz (11:45):
Oh, that's funny.
I like that.
And so that's, when people cometo visit, they can check that
out.
But let's talk a little bitabout planning a trip.
Most of my listeners are fromthe United States and so it's a
little bit different to come toa Canadian park.
How would you suggest thatsomeone begin to plan their
visit?

Ethain Arsenault (12:07):
That's a great question.
Getting to PEI, of course youcan take the bridge, you can
take the ferry, you can flyhere.
If you happen to own a boat,that would be a cool way to come
here.
And when you get to PrinceEdward Island, you will wish you
had a boat because we are bothvery close and very far away
from Charlottetown.
And when you come to the site,you'll know what I mean.
We are just across the harborfrom Charlottetown.

(12:29):
You can see it very clearly, butyou have to drive all the way
around the bay to get to us.
So it's about a 35 minute drivefrom the capital of Prince
Island in Charlottetown.

Missy Rentz (12:39):
Yes.
And to get there being the AmerUS citizen that, that did it.
You just have to check both ofthe customs and Immigration,
immigration websites just tomake sure you have everything
that you need.
I know we talked about this onthe Prince Edward Island
episode, but it.
Changes periodically, so I don'twanna talk exactly what you
need, it's passport and Ibrought my dog so I needed extra

(13:01):
things.
So I, I do encourage if it is aUS citizen that's going to make
sure you're checking that andcan easily get across the
border.

Ethain Arsenault (13:09):
Yes, that's correct.
It's always a good good idea toplan in advance for those things
when you're crossing borders.

Missy Rentz (13:14):
Exactly.
Now when you get there, what areyour seasons?

Ethain Arsenault (13:20):
Yeah, so we operate a visitor center and
programming and that kind of athing for two months of the year
at Skmaqn.
In July and August we will haveour visitor center open.
We have some displays andinformation inside.
You can come and watch our.
16 minute video woven stories.
And you can come talk to usfriendly park staff but the site

(13:41):
is accessible year round to gosee the fort and to hike the
trails and see the nice views ofCharlottetown.
Check out some of the wildlife.
You can do that any old time.

Missy Rentz (13:52):
And how would you advise people spend their time
researching before coming?
Because it is I I'm torn onhistorical places sometimes I
think it's valuable in a.
Important to do it in advance soyou can understand the story.
Sometimes I think it's fun justto show up.
I feel like this is a site whereyou guys do a really good job

(14:13):
with your outdoor displays, butwhat are your thoughts on that?
Is this a do your researchbefore you get there?

Ethain Arsenault (14:19):
Yeah, so you're right.
We do have a series ofinterpretation panels outside
that you would see no matter ifwe're open or not.
And they do a good job of kindalaying over the overarching
story of the site.
But I believe that this is asite that the more research you
do, the more you'll get out ofit because it is quite a
detailed and nuanced andmultifaceted story.

(14:41):
And so when you go and stand onthe walls of the fort it's nice
to understand.
What's there and what was therebefore the force?

Missy Rentz (14:48):
Yeah, actually you've shared a couple of things
already in this episode that I'mlike, oh, I didn't know that.
Now I'm gotta come back andcheck it out.
What can people do when theyvisit?

Ethain Arsenault (15:00):
So beyond coming to the visitor center, of
course, and speaking to us andseeing the video we have, as you
said, 6.4 kilometers.
Sorry for the Americanlisteners.
I'm not very good at theconversion to Miles but it's a
lovely place to come and walkand there's several sections to
our trails.
So if you wanna walk, go for anice walk in the woods or if you

(15:21):
want to see some really stunningcoastal views see some views of.
The kind of cityscape ofCharlottetown.
You can see all that from there.
Or a local favorite thing to dois to come down to the site when
a cruise ship is coming intoHarbor because they pass right
in front of the sites and it isquite a site to behold.

Missy Rentz (15:38):
Oh, I bet.
And okay, there's.
Two lighthouses on the trail isthat,

Ethain Arsenault (15:44):
So for the maritime navigational
aficionados we have two rangelights on site and they differ a
little bit.
They look a lot likelighthouses.
They are basically lighthouses,but they are navigational aids
for boats looking for thechannel to enter and exit the
harbor.

Missy Rentz (16:01):
So they're functioning

Ethain Arsenault (16:03):
They're functioning and you can walk
right up to them and see them.
And right next door to the sitethere is the blockhouse
lighthouse,

Missy Rentz (16:11):
They're beautiful.

Ethain Arsenault (16:12):
to as well.
Absolutely.

Missy Rentz (16:14):
they're really beautiful places and there's,
I'm sure strategically likebenches to sit near them so you
can take in the views and thelighthouse.

Ethain Arsenault (16:22):
of course.
If you come to PEI in a stormyday, it's quite a romantic spot
to sit and watch the waves atthe shore.

Missy Rentz (16:28):
I bet.
And the clouds, it was verymoody the day I was there, so
the clouds were intense.
I, other things we talked abouta little bit about the hiking.
I think it's a, probably a goodbirdwatching spot.

Ethain Arsenault (16:40):
Excellent bird watching spot.
This year I noticed we had anawful lot of bald eagles hanging
out around the site, sohopefully if you come, you get
to see some of those.
I've seen osprey diving on fishout in the water, out in the
harbor.
Lots of shorebirds, of course.
Lots of activity when you'realong the coast.

Missy Rentz (16:57):
Yeah, and it's not a place you're gonna spend days.
So when it comes to lodging,there's several historic sites
and then of course the NationalPark, prince Edward Island
National Park.
But from a lodging perspective,are there options close by or
how do you plan that?

Ethain Arsenault (17:14):
The lovely thing about Prince Edward Island
is that you're never far fromanything.
And if you come here, there'slots of different options.
There's hotels, motels, inns,camping, you name it, it's
pretty close to us.
You should be able to findsomething within a 20 or 25
minute drive without any kind ofdifficulty, okay?

Missy Rentz (17:35):
And the other thing I think is unique about this
historic site, sometimes you get'em, I don't know about in
Canada, but sometimes you get'emwhere you don't allow dogs, but
you.
Can take your dogs on the trailsin

Ethain Arsenault (17:44):
Dogs are very welcome at our site and I would
say that's one of the morepopular things to do is to come
walk your dogs on our lovelytrails.
'cause you'll be in goodcompany.

Missy Rentz (17:53):
yes you will.
You'll see a lot of localswalking their dogs on the trails
early in the morning out there.
What other information shouldpeople know when planning a trip
to visit you?

Ethain Arsenault (18:05):
So when you come to our site if you're
looking for a lot of organizedactivities and that kind of a
thing you may want to look atour website and see what's going
on.
We do offer some activities, butthey're on a day-to-day basis.
But you should know that it's anice spot to come and check out
views.
Go for a nice walk, and it's agood place to have a more kinda

(18:27):
laid back and contemplativeexperience rather than something
that's really hands on.

Missy Rentz (18:33):
I agree.
I think it was really especiallyif you take the time to read the
signs and the displays which areso uniquely, I'm gonna put a
picture up on the website.
'cause I just think it's sounique how you all told the
story.
It's, it's really fascinating toread that and then to walk
through the site and imaginewhat it was like during the

(18:54):
different eras.

Ethain Arsenault (18:57):
Yeah, absolutely.
It's a, it's an interestingplace to think about,
challenging histories, but alsowhere now we can all come
together and tell those storiesand hear those stories and try
and heal what was in the past.

Missy Rentz (19:12):
Yeah, beautifully said.
Ethain.
To end each episode, I do aspeed round of questions.
Just answer with what comes tomind.
What is your earliest parkmemory?

Ethain Arsenault (19:25):
This may be cheating, but I'm a second
generation parkie, so my parentswere Parks Canada folk in
Jasper.
And I have baby pictures of mein a backpack up on top of
mountains and things like that.
So I guess it wasn't me in apark, but I grew up seeing
images of me on tops ofmountains and around glaciers

(19:45):
and that kind of a thing.

Missy Rentz (19:47):
What made you love the parks?

Ethain Arsenault (19:50):
When I was a little bit older than that my
parents took us from PEI and wewent back on a nice trip through
the Rocky Mountain NationalParks here in Canada.
We went through Banff and Jasperand seeing mountains and
glaciers and big pine forestsand things like that for the
first time that was it for me.

Missy Rentz (20:09):
What is your favorite thing about
Skmaqn-Port-la-Joye- FortAmherst National Historic site.

Ethain Arsenault (20:16):
For me, it's a site that's not only really
important historically, but ithas a personal connection.
Michel Haché dit Gallant, one ofthe first Acadian settlers who
lived there is one of myancestors.
So when I walk on the site, Iget to see some, a place where
my family used to be.

Missy Rentz (20:34):
And what is your favorite thing to do at
Skmaqn-Port-la-Joye- FortAmherst?

Ethain Arsenault (20:40):
There's a few things, but I think my favorite
thing to do is to watch a nicesunset right down by the water,
right down by the lighthouse.

Missy Rentz (20:50):
What park have you yet to visit, but it's on your
bucket list and why?

Ethain Arsenault (20:55):
Ooh, all the way up in the Yukon.
I would love to go to AniNational Park.
I love to hike and that lookslike an amazing place.

Missy Rentz (21:05):
What are three must haves?
You park, you pack for a parkvisit.

Ethain Arsenault (21:11):
Ooh that's a good question.
I.
Three must haves.
I always have a good camera withme.
I always take a notebook with meand I always bring the best pair
of boots I can find.

Missy Rentz (21:31):
What is your favorite campfire activity?

Ethain Arsenault (21:36):
I like to cook a nice trout or a mackerel or
some other fish that I can catchon a cast iron pan over an open
fire.

Missy Rentz (21:44):
Tent, camper or cabin.

Ethain Arsenault (21:47):
Tent all day long.

Missy Rentz (21:49):
Are you hiking with or without trekking poles?

Ethain Arsenault (21:52):
Yeah.
I'm a recent convert to trekkingpoles.
I wasn't a believer and I usedthem in the Grand Canyon, and
now I understand.

Missy Rentz (22:00):
What is your favorite trail snack?

Ethain Arsenault (22:03):
Oh, that's a tough question.
Favorite trail snack?
I like to pack homemade hummuswhen I hike.
Yep.

Missy Rentz (22:10):
What is your favorite animal sighting?

Ethain Arsenault (22:13):
I started my Parks Canada career in Jasper
National Park.
And one time I was driving onone of the secondary roads by
myself and a big black wolfcrossed a couple hundred yards
in front of my car and stoppedin the middle of the road and
stared at me.
And that was my most incrediblewildlife experience

Missy Rentz (22:32):
What is your favorite sound in the park?

Ethain Arsenault (22:35):
down at Skmaqn.
And I think my favorite sound iswhen the trembling Aspen leaves
come out for the first time inthe spring and they start to
flutter in the wind.

Missy Rentz (22:45):
And what is the greatest gift that the parks
give to us?

Ethain Arsenault (22:50):
Simplicity.

Missy Rentz (22:52):
Ethain, thank you so much for taking time to teach
us about Skmaqn-Port-la-Joye-Fort Amherst, and sharing just
your passion for the parks.

Ethain Arsenault (23:03):
Thank you so much, Missy.
This was very fun.
Anytime I hope everyone comesand visits us.

Missy Rentz (23:09):
That's it for today's episode.
Until next time, we'll see youin the parks.
Thanks for listening.
If you enjoyed today's episode,please be sure to like and share
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(23:29):
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