Anse-aux-Batteaux: A 19th-Century River Port and its Maritime Cultural Landscape

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Portages and river ports, according to Christer Westerdahl, are archaeological nodes that articulate the larger maritime cultural landscape. This conceptualisation gives meaning to the small river port called Anse-aux-Batteaux, located on the Saint Lawrence River at the head of a 20-kilometer stretch of rapids and cascades. Hydroelectric development raised the water level and flooded Anse-aux-Batteaux in the early 20th century, leaving it frozen in time. We have mapped the remains of two wharves, five shipwrecks, a railway and a dump of domestic artefacts spanning the 19th century. The tree species used to build these ships and wharves contrast sharply with rural wood uses found in the surrounding countryside. These findings tie into fluvial navigation, rural colonisation, and their contrasting forestry practices that show a dense overlay of rural and maritime cultural landscapes.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions)   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow