The coast of New Brunswick might be called the Loyalist Trail, given all the attention on those fleeing the new American nation who settled the towns and cities along the west shore of the Bay of Fundy. The Nova Scotia side of the Bay, on the other hand, is the Acadian Trail. There is an Acadian National History site in Grand-Pre, with reconstructed church, interpretive center, and a great deal of material on Acadian culture prior to their expulsion in the mid-18th Century. And other towns along this part of Southern Nova Scotia reinforce the story (the coast route we followed for the past two days is called the Evangeline Trail, after the Longfellow poem). We learned about a clever Acadian technology that probably was a principal cause of their undoing. This coast is low lying and therefore inundated by salt water because of the Fundy tides. The Acadians settled in the salt marshes that no one else wanted and developed a system of earthen dykes and wooden sluices, with one-way flapper gates, that kept out the rising tides and on the ebb allowed the marshes to drain via the one-way gates (the photos show the seaward and landside of a reconstructed dike). Over time, the rain and snow washed out the leached salt in the soil creating a large area of very fertile fields that the Acadians planted. So the British had an economic reason to remove the Acadian population in addition to their national and sectarian enmity for anything French. Taking the Acadian highly productive lands would attract settlers, enlarge colonial trade, and remove the last vestiges of French culture from the North American coast.

The village of Annapolis Royal besides being picturesque has an excellent example of an 18th Century star fort with earthen fortifications. Originally built by the French, the British expanded it and renamed it Fort Anne (as well as renaming the city). Although very quiet now – we were the only visitors on Labour Day – it stands as a reminder of how keen both countries were to bring their rivalry to the New World.