New Brunswick flood

Champlain's christening of the river was an act of cultural chauvinism.

For the Maliseet, or Wolastoqewiak who had camped along its banks for centuries, the Saint John was known as the Wolastoq; for them, it was a bountiful river that led to a bountiful sea. It was their refuge, but it was destined to become the refuge of other cultures, as first the Acadians, and then the Loyalists, fled from persecution and personal danger to the safety of its valley. The Saint John was also destined to become both an international boundary and a major artery of culture and commerce through the heartland of New Brunswick, leading, ever so conveniently, to one of Atlantic Canada's most important harbours. Stretching 673 kilometres from its rugged headwaters in the woods of northern Maine, running southeast to its mouth at the city of Saint John, and draining a vast area of 55,000 square kilometres, the Saint John is one of Canada's greatest workhorse rivers. Forests, farms, massive hydroelectric projects have all left their mark on the Maliseet's beloved Wolastoq, but its rank as one of eastern Canada's greatest waterways remains unchanged.

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