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During the Carboniferous
period 350-290 million years ago, French Fort Cove was covered by water, and sand was deposited on the sea bed forming the
sedimentary bedrock of the area. After the last Ice Age the Cove was formed as the French Fort Stream cut a steep valley
in the easily eroded sandstone.
The original inhabitants were Mi'kmaq natives. Archeological evidence
places them in the region by 1,000 B.C. Several projectile points have been found in the area which verifies Mi'kmaq
presence. The Augustine Mound Exhibit in Red Bank contains a fine display of artifacts from the era.
The European history of the site begins with the granting of a seigneury to Richard Denys in 1672. Richard, the son
of the famous Nicholas Denys, established a permanent settlement on the island now called Beaubears.
The
name French Fort Cove originated during the era of the expulsion of the Acadians from the region by the British in 1755.
Charles Dechamps de Boishebert, a Quebec born adventurer and soldier, was sent to Acadia by the Governor of Quebec to assist
the Acadians. He gathered hundreds of refugees at Beaubear's Island (a corruption of the name IIe de boishebert).
To protect them, a battery was established at Kethro's Lookout overlooking the Miramichi River thus giving the park its
name. The battery turned back a naval assault by the British in 1758. This was the same British expedition which
burned an Acadian church at the mouth of the Miramichi thus giving the community of Burnt Church its name. However,
Quebec was attacked by Wolfe the following year and Boishebert was recalled to help defend the city. Without his leadership,
the Miramichi Acadian community fell on hard times and the area was taken by the British in 1760.
In 1765,
William Davidson, a Scotch entrepreneur, received a large grant from the British Crown to establish a fishery and promote
British settlement in the area. The American Revolutionary War and the poor, thin soils of the area retarded settlement,
but Davidson did manage to establish a salmon fishery and shipbuilding industry. His grave can be found at the Enclosure.
The 19th. century was a golden age for the Miramichi as shipbuilding, lumbering and fishing became major industries.
French Fort Cove shared in this industrial growth as a lumber mill, a gristmill and Abram's Shipyard were built on the
site. The large chimney at the entrance to the park is all that remains of the Buckley Lumber Mill which burned in 1922.
Charles Fish opened a quarry in the Cove in 1884. Remnants of the quarrying can still be found in the park.
The Cove passed through many hands throughout the 19th. century until it was sold to the Drummond Mining Company
in 1910. The company built a trestle to load ore onto ships. The mound of earth and the cement footings across
the road from Kethro's Lookout are all that remain of the trestle. Eventually the mining company was bought out
by Noranda Mining Corporation which operated Heath Steele Mines in the area for many years. Noranda leased the property
to the Town of Newcastle in 1985 to develop a park. The French Fort Cove Development Commission was established a year
later and has overseen the development of the park ever since.
French Fort Cove is now a recreation and leisure
area available to the citizens of Miramichi. It is the mandate of the Commission to maintain and improve it. The
Park belongs to all Miramichiers. Please respect it by being courteous and unselfish.
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