This monument will be found at the
Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst Canadian National Historic Site at Rocky Point, directly south and across the bay from Charlottetown.
The French had established the colony of Acadia in the very early seventeenth century, arriving in 1604. The colony of Acadia encompassed parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine to the Kennebec River. They held this territory until, after at least six colonial wars, the British conquered the area and it, for the most part, became British territory. The Acadians were allowed to remain and keep their land. Increasingly, the Acadians were perceived as a threat to the British, culminating in the attempted deportation of all Acadians who would not swear allegiance to the British Crown. This was Le Grand Dérangement, which commenced in 1755 and continued for nearly a full decade, resulting in the deaths of essentially half of the Acadians.
Text from the monument is reproduced below. The story of the Le Grand Dérangement and the creation of these monuments can be
seen here.
Le Grand Dérangement
L'Acadie, established by France in 1604, was a strategically located and highly coveted colony. In 1713, it was handed over to England and renamed Nova Scotia. The foundation of Halifax, in 1749, led part of the Acadian population to move to French territory. The remaining Acadians were still perceived as a threat, and in 1755, the British authorities launched their systematic deportation, splitting up families and communities, seizing all lands and possessions.
This was the Grand Dérangement, of Great Upheaval. Nearly 10,000 men, women and children were piled into ships and deported to the Anglo-American colonies, to England and to French territory and forming a resistance. Over the next ten years, almost half of the Acadian nation was lost at sea or died from disease and famine. By 1765, a mere 1,600 survivors remained in Nova Scotia, their fertile land now occupied by settlers from other areas.
Some Acadian families returned to their former homes, but most never again set eyes on Acadie. Many took root in Quebec and France, while in Louisiana they gave rise to a new community that produced the rich Cajun culture. Yet, the Grand Dérangement was unable to wipe out the Acadian presence on its native soil. L'Acadie lives on in Atlantic Canada, speaking French and offering to the world its proud and dynamic culture.
This is the sole monument placed on Prince Edward Island and bears a second, site specific, plaque beside the main one, which outlines the unique story of Le Grand Dérangement as it pertains to Prince Edward Island, known then as Île Saint Jean. The deportations of 1758 from Île Royale and Île Saint-Jean sent the Acadians to England and France. En route, two of the nine convoy vessels sank with 700 people on board. Text from the plaque follows.
Île Saint-Jean
The colony of Île Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island) was founded by French and Acadian settlers in 1720. Starting in 1749, however, it was populated primarily by Acadians refugees from Nova Scotia fleeing deportation from the mainland in 1755.
After the fall of Louisbourg in 1758, Île Saint-Jean was handed over to the British, who proceeded to deport some 3,000 of its inhabitants to France. Nearly two thirds of the deportees died, either by drowning or by succumbing to disease during the crossing or in the months following their arrival. Among the survivors, many settled in France, while others returned to the Gulf of St. Lawrence region, or left for the Caribbean, but the majority emigrated to Louisiana in 1785.
Approximately 1,100 Islanders had escaped deportation in 1858, most of whom took refuge on the mainland. Over time, they put down roots in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, The Gaspé Peninsula, The Magdalen Islands and in Miquelon. Some of them even reached Louisiana. However, a small group returned to the Island. Their descendants form the Acadian community which exists on Prince Edward Island today.