département off the coast of southern Newfoundland;
Alternately, visitors entering the Valley on
and the Magdalen Islands, la Gaspésie and other areas Route 1A from Mars Hill in central Aroostook County
of Québec.
can enjoy scenic St. John River views, including
tidy houses on both sides of the river. The St. John
The event’s biggest draw is the 120 or more Valley’s beauty and special cultural heritage are certain
family reunions that will take place. The family to impress CMA 2014 participants, leading them to
reunions are the heart and soul of Acadian World conclude that the Valley indeed is a special place.
congresses and are expected to draw tens of thousands
of participants during the 2014 Congress. Just in
A sense of history …
Maine, more than 55 family reunions will take place.
The Acadians arrived in the upper St. John
Each reunion is expected to attract between 100 and
River Valley in 1785. Between 1755 and 1763, British
800 participants, and some family reunions have the
colonial governors in Massachusetts Bay Colony and
potential to draw a thousand or more people.
Nova Scotia were responsible for the deportation of
Some family reunions will take place in New 75 percent of the approximately 14,000 Acadians
Brunswick and Québec provinces. The reunions living in Acadie (present-day Nova Scotia, primarily),
will include families of not only Acadian and French forcing the colonists from their houses and farms,
Canadian backgrounds, but also non-Acadian families most of which were located along the Bay of
having roots in Acadia of the Lands and Forests, Fundy, the smaller Baie-Sainte-Marie and the
including those of Scots-Irish background in Allagash, Annapolis River (La Rivière du Dauphin). The
Maine. People attending the reunions can take governors deported the Acadians to the British
advantage of all the entertainment, cultural exhibits colonies to the south, which 20 years later
and community activities that are scheduled as part would declare independence from Britain. After
of the Congress. Just in Maine, municipalities and the 1763 Treaty of Paris signing, some surviving
local groups are planning upward of 60 community Acadians returned to their homeland Acadi from
activities, which will entertain local residents and the 13 American colonies and Québec, where they
had sought refuge in order to get a new start on life.
visitors alike.
A sense of place …
Northern Maine’s St. John Valley comprises
what the U.S. National Park Service calls the Maine
Acadian Cultural Heritage Area. People arriving
in “the Valley” for the first time will be impressed
by its varied landscapes. Sweeping views of the St.
John River and its islands, distant purple mountains
and 100-acre farm fields greet visitors driving north
from Presque Isle and Caribou in central Aroostook
County.
Visitors can expect a warm welcome from the
St. John Valley residents. Shared history, culture and
traditions work in harmony to create a strong sense of
identity and community. Friendliness and hospitality
are St. John Valley hallmarks. The welcome visitors
receive from valley residents is as warm as a serving
of traditional chicken stew and ployes, a pancake
or flatbread made of buckwheat, which usually
accompanies the stew.
As Route 1 climbs to the plateau of Cyr
Plantation and then descends into Van Buren, visitors
will feel as though they are arriving in the Valley on
board a light aircraft. Cyr Plantation is part of Maine’s
potato country, and hundreds of acres of fields are
cultivated annually in potatoes, oats and other crops.
Traveling north from there, other beautiful vistas
await visitors to the nearly 100-mile-long river valley.
Visitors arriving at twilight or after dark will see
twinkling lights emanating from Canada, just across
the river, including the city lights of Grand Falls.
14
A special people …
St. John Valley residents are a hardy,
industrious lot. Older residen