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Rocky Point in Queens County, Prince Edward Island — The Atlantic Provinces (North America)
 

Port of Entry / Port d’entrée

 
 
Port of Entry / Port d’entrée Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 18, 2019
1. Port of Entry / Port d’entrée Marker
Inscription.  
English:
We are in Port la Joye, one of the most beautiful harbours that the eye can behold.
—Louis Denys de la Ronde, November 6, 1721

In 1720, three hundred men, women and children were brought from France to settle on Île Saint-Jean by Louis Hyacinthe Castel, Comte de Saint-Pierre, who was a courtier of Louis XV. These farmers, fishermen and tradesmen, who were soon joined by settlers from Acadia, established Port-la-Joye, one of the Island’s first permanent European settlements and the administrative centre for the colony. With a harbor that was large, sheltered and easy to defend, this was a good location for the capital. The colony had great potential — good farmland, a rich fishery and a short sail to Louisbourg and other French centres.

Gateway to Settlement and Commerce
By 1735, settlers had built homes along the Rivière-du-Nord-Est (Hillsborough River, a Canadian Heritage River), which was used as a “highway” to the north shore of the Island. It connected Port-la-Joye to Havre Saint-Pierre (St. Peters Bay), the colony’s main commercial centre.

War
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and Upheaval

In 1745, Trois Rivières and Port-la-Joye were attacked and burned by New Englanders. According to Mi’kmaq oral tradition, the French, joined by Mi’kmaq and Acadians, counterattacked and defeated them. It would be four years before Port-la-Joye could be rebuilt. By 1755, the colony’s population had grown as a result of the migration of Acadians who sought to escape the Deportation in Nova Scotia.

Français:
Nous sommes dans le port Lajoye que est un des plus beaux ports que l’on puisse voir.
—Louis Denys de la Ronde, Le 6 novembre 1721

Louis Hyacinthe Castel, comte de Saint-Pierre et courtisan de Louis XV, amena avec lui de France en 1720 trois cents hommes, femmes et enfants pour coloniser l’Île Saint-Jean. Ces agriculteurs, pêcheurs et artisans, auxquels devaient se joindre bientôt des colons de l’Acadie, fondèrent Port-la-Joye, un des premiers établissements européens permanents de l’Île et le centre administratif de la colonie. L’endroit, avec son grand havre abrité et facile à défendre, était tout indiqué pour y établir la capitale. La colonie avait beaucoup de potentiel — de terres agricoles fertiles et une pêche abondante — et se trouvait de surcroît à peu de distance par la mer de Louisbourg et d’autres centres français.

Porte d’entrée pour la colonisation et le commerce
En
Marker detail: Port-la-Joye, 1734 image. Click for full size.
2. Marker detail: Port-la-Joye, 1734
Port-la-Joye, 1734, by Verrier fils, son of French engineer Étienne Verrier.
• • •
Port-la-Joye, 1734, par Verrier fils, dont le père était l’ingénieur français Étienne Verrier.
1735, les colons avaient construit des habitations le long de la rivière Rivière-du-Nord-Est (la rivière Hillsborough, classée rivière du patrimoine canadien). Cette rivière était alors que voie de navigation importante vers la côte nord de l’Île, puisqu’elle reliait Port-la-Joye au principal centre commercial de la colonie, Havre Saint-Pierre (la baie St. Peters).

Guerre et Bouleversement
En 1745, des troupes venues de la Nouvelle-Angleterre attaquèrent et brûlèrent Trois-Rivières et Port-la-Joye. Selon la l’histoire orale des Mi’kmaq, les Français, auxquels se joignirent les Mi’kmaq et les Acadiens, contre-attaquèrent et eurent raison des assaillants. Ce n’est que quatre ans plus tard que Port-la-Joye put être reconstruit. La population de la colonie augmenta en 1755 à la suite de la migration des Acadiens qui tentaient d’échapper à la Déportation en Nouvelle-Écosse.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial EraSettlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is November 6, 1721.
 
Location. 46° 11.779′ N, 63° 8.172′ W. Marker is in Rocky Point, Prince Edward Island, in Queens County. Marker can be reached from Hache Gallant Drive, 1.2 kilometers east of Prince Edward Island Route 19, on the left when traveling east. Marker is located along the heritage trail at Skmaqn–Port-la-Joye–Fort
Marker detail: Port-la-Joye, 1745 image. Click for full size.
Courtesy Parks Canada, artist: Claude Picard
3. Marker detail: Port-la-Joye, 1745
In 1745, Port-la-Joye was attacked and burned by New Englanders.
• • •
Port-la-Joye fut attaqué et brûlé en 1745 par des troupes de la Nouvelle-Angleterre.
Amherst National Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 191 Hache Gallant Drive, Rocky Point PE C0A 1H2, Canada. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Mi'kmaq / Les Mi'kmaq (within shouting distance of this marker); The British Period / La période britannique (within shouting distance of this marker); A Great Survey / Un Arpentage de Taille (within shouting distance of this marker); Place Yourself in History / Situez-vous dans l’histoire (within shouting distance of this marker); Michel Haché-Gallant et Anne Cormier (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); The Grand Dérangement (about 90 meters away); A Human Tragedy / Une tragédie humaine (about 90 meters away); The Deportation of the Inhabitants of Île Saint-Jean (about 90 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rocky Point.
 
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Skmaqn–Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst National Historic Site
 
Also see . . .
1. The Settlement of Havre Saint Pierre. About two-thirds of the French immigrants who arrived on the Island in the summer of 1720 went directly to the north shore where the majority of them settled on the west shore of St. Peters Bay. Those immigrants came to the Island under the sponsorship of the
Marker detail: Places of French and Acadian Settlement /<br>Lieux d’établissement des français et de image. Click for full size.
4. Marker detail: Places of French and Acadian Settlement /
Lieux d’établissement des français et de
Compagnie de l'Isle Saint Jean. This company had received the previous year from King Louis XV a land grant. The principal shareholder of the Company was Louis-Hyacinthe de Castel, Comte de Saint-Pierre, a member of the Normandy gentry. There is no indication that he ever came to the Island, but his name was given to the bay where his company established its fishing station. (Submitted on June 26, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.) 

2. Louis Denys de la Ronde. The French authorities decided to establish a strong presence on Île Royale (Cape Breton); thus, Louisbourg came into being. La Ronde was instrumental in the selection and the initial setup of Louisbourg. For a five year period, 1715-20, La Ronde was to command the smaller fort at Port-Toulouse (St Peters). After this he was sent over to Île St. Jean (Prince Edward Island) to set up its fortifications. (Submitted on June 26, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.) 

3. Battle at Port-la-Joye (Wikipedia). The Battle at Port-la-Joye was a battle in King George's War that took place with British against French troops and Mi'kmaq militia on the banks of present-day Hillsborough River, Prince Edward Island in the summer of 1746. French officer Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Roch de Ramezay sent French and Mi'kmaq forces to Port-la-Joye
Port of Entry / Port d’entrée Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 18, 2019
5. Port of Entry / Port d’entrée Marker
where they surprised and defeated a company of 200 Massachusetts militia in two British naval vessels that were gathering provisions for recently captured Louisbourg. (Submitted on June 26, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 26, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 23, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 137 times since then and 3 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 26, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

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Mar. 29, 2024