A River Runs Through It

An Archaeological Survey of the Upper Mersey River and Allains River in Southwest Nova Scotia

New archaeological evidence from the Mersey and Allains Rivers in southwest Nova Scotia has enabled historic use of this traditional Mi'kmaq canoe-route to be extended back into the pre-Contact Period. The 2006 Upper Mersey/Allains River Corridor Archaeological Survey has bridged a gap in the archaeological record by building on previous investigations from the southern half of the Mersey River, and limited work on the Allains River. A continuous line of pre-Contact sites now extends through the interior of southwest Nova Scotia, linking the Bay of Fundy and the Atlantic coast. The association of these sites with modern portage trails and the presence of imported Bay of Fundy lithics across the route confirm these waterways formed a travel corridor during the Middle-Late Woodland Period (ca 2,000-450 BP). Additional evidence also indicates most of the route has been used for at least 5,000 years. The results of this survey have provided the basis for more wide ranging discussions of landuse and seasonal settlement patterns of the Mi'kmaq and their ancestors in the region.