Restigouche

The Restigouche flows through forested hills into the head of Chaleur Bay. Rich in salmon, the river has long been a home and route of travel for the Mi'gmaq, who also followed the Matapédia and its portage toward the St. Lawrence. At the estuary, Mi'gmaq families and Acadian refugees lived alongside one another as the struggle between France and Britain reached the bay.

In 1760 a French relief flotilla, unable to reach Québec, sheltered in the Restigouche. Acadians and Mi'gmaq joined the French in preparing shore batteries and a barrier of sunken vessels against a stronger British squadron. The British forced their way upstream; on 8 July the French commander scuttled the Machault and Bienfaisant rather than let their supplies be captured. New France surrendered at Montréal two months later.