- River John
Infobox River
river_name = River John
caption = River John at low tide.
origin =
mouth =Northumberland Strait
basin_countries =Canada
length =
elevation =
mouth_elevation =sea level
discharge =
watershed =River John is a river in Nova Scotia. Draining the extreme western part of
Pictou County , it flows intoAmet Sound on theNorthumberland Strait at River John, a village which takes its name from the river. The Mi’kmaq name is Kajeboogwek (“flowing through desert or solitary place”). An early name was Deception River. Its present name is believed to derive from Rivière Jaune, an Acadian name, [ [http://www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/cap/places/page.asp?ID=577 Place Names of Nova Scotia] ] though it may also derive from nearby Cap Jean (now Cape John). [ [http://www.sunrisetrail.ca/places/Cape-John.htm Sunrise Trail] ] DesBarres called it River John in his "Atlantic Neptune".Permanent settlement began in the late eighteenth century. In the nineteenth century, the river was an important scene of wooden ship building. In 1884, the largest ship ever built in Pictou County, the 1,687-ton "Warrior" was launched by the Kitchin yard, while rival Archibald MacKenzie launched the 1,574-ton "Caldera" that same year. [Charles A. Armour and Thomas Lackey, "Sailing Ships of the Maritimes", 1975, Toronto: McGraw Hill Ryerson, p. 162]
The upper reaches began to be settled in the early nineteenth century. Communities situated on the river include Welsford (formerly River John Village) [ [http://www.parl.ns.ca/placenames/pictouw.htmlWelsford, Name Places of Pictou County] ] , West Branch River John, Diamond, Loganville, Marshville, and Dalhousie Settlement.
The River John is tidal for part of its length.
External links
* [http://www.parl.ns.ca/woodenships/Shipbuilding_in_River_John.htm Shipyards of River John]
* [http://museum.gov.ns.ca/imagesns/html/40562.html Photo of blackfish stranding on the shores of River John, 1918]References
*Reflist
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