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86-768: Nashua was one of several towns that was established along the Merrimack River to take advantage of water power in the early days of the Industrial Revolution . The most notable mills were the Merrimack mills (founded 1823) in Lowell, Massachusetts , and the Amoskeag mills (founded 1810) at Manchester, New Hampshire , where the Millyard Museum is located. The Nashua Manufacturing Company

172-678: A Raid on Chignecto (1696) and the siege of the Capital of Acadia at Fort Nashwaak . At the end of the war England returned the territory to France in the Treaty of Ryswick and the borders of Acadia remained the same. During Queen Anne's War , some Acadians, the Wabanaki Confederacy and the French priests participated again in defending Acadia at its border with New England. They made numerous raids on New England settlements along

258-437: A 2002 statewide water assessment stated that elevated counts of E. coli and fecal coliform contributed to the river's largest cause of water quality violations. By the 2000s, the largest pollution concern was combined sewer overflow . Wildlife has been impacted through the contamination of shellfishing beds as well as habitat contamination, and aquatic life has been affected due to excess lead , zinc , and other metals in

344-552: A campaign lasting many years to convince the Vatican to appoint an Acadian bishop. In 1917, the premier of Prince Edward Island resigned to accept a judicial position, and his Conservative Party chose Aubin-Edmond Arsenault as successor until the next election in 1919. Arsenault thus became the first Acadian provincial premier of any province in Canada. In 1923, Peter Veniot became the first Acadian premier of New Brunswick when he

430-470: A colony of French language speakers to Acadia (later Nova Scotia ), of a beautiful river to the south. The French promptly pronounced its native name as Merremack . In 1605 Samuel de Champlain followed this lead, found the river and renamed it Riviere du Gas . The French and their name did not remain on the Merrimack. The natives dwelling along the river at the time of European exploration included

516-510: A distinct people which should have a national holiday distinct from that of Quebec ( Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ). The second convention in 1884 adopted other national symbols including the flag of Acadia designed by Marcel-François Richard, and the anthem Ave maris stella . The third convention in 1890 created the Société nationale L'Assomption to promote the interests of the Acadian people in

602-640: A double flood of rain and melting snow and ice swelled the Merrimack at Lowell to 68.4 feet (20.8 m), 10 feet (3 m) higher than the 2006 flood. Part of the Jack Kerouac book Doctor Sax is set during this event. In addition to the 1936 flood, the 1852 flood, and the Mother's Day Flood of 2006, the New England Hurricane of 1938 and floods in October 1996 and April 2007 round out

688-489: A foot of rain with some areas receiving as much as 17 inches (43 cm). According to The Boston Globe , around 1,500 people evacuated their homes to escape the flood. This flood also prompted the Massachusetts city of Lowell to install a modern (albeit temporary) flood control gate comprising square steel beams at the site of the historic Francis Gate , a 19th and 20th-century wooden flood gate. When lowered,

774-558: A major expedition to recover Acadia in 1746. Beset by storms, disease, and finally the death of its commander, the Duc d'Anville , it returned to France in tatters without reaching its objective. French officer Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Roch de Ramezay also arrived from Quebec and conducted the Battle at Port-la-Joye on Île Saint-Jean and the Battle of Grand Pré . Despite the British capture of

860-659: A permit allowing landfill water to be dumped into the Merrimack River. Politicians are also seeking increased federal funding to update water infrastructure for the Merrimack River, as the river's current sewer infrastructure has resulted in the dumping of over 100,000 gallons of untreated water into the river. The Merrimack is listed as one of the Navigable Waters of the United States, subject to Section 10, Rivers and Harbors Act Jurisdiction. While

946-555: A result of Father Rale's War, present-day central Maine fell again to the British with the defeat of Sébastien Rale at Norridgewock and the subsequent retreat of the native population from the Kennebec and Penobscot rivers. King George's War began when the war declarations from Europe reached the French fortress at Louisbourg first, on May 3, 1744, and the forces there wasted little time in beginning hostilities. Concerned about their overland supply lines to Quebec , they first raided

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1032-443: A result of the pollution from textile mills and other human-related waste. In the 1960s, the Merrimack River was one of the ten most polluted waterways in the United States due to years of unmediated dumping of raw sewage , paper and textile mill discharge, and tannery sludge. Phthalates , a group of chemicals used in the manufacture of plastics and detrimental to human bodily systems, were identified in high concentrations within

1118-630: A section depicting the fictional Pre-Columbian arrival of 9th century Irish and English travelers at the Merrimack River and their interactions with local Native Americans . Acadia Acadia (French: Acadie ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the Maritime provinces , the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River . The population of Acadia included

1204-593: A sector of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu ) was founded by expelled Acadians. After the siege of Louisbourg (1758) , a second wave of the expulsion began with the St. John River Campaign , Petitcodiac River Campaign , Gulf of St. Lawrence Campaign and the Île Saint-Jean Campaign . The Acadians and the Wabanaki Confederacy created a significant resistance to the British throughout the war. They repeatedly raided Canso, Lunenburg, Halifax, Chignecto and into New England. Any pretense that France might maintain or regain control over

1290-854: A struggle for recognition of Acadians as a distinct group starting in the mid-nineteenth century. Some Acadian deputies were elected to legislative assemblies, starting in 1836 with Simon d'Entremont in Nova Scotia. Several other provincial and federal members followed in New Brunswick and in Prince Edward Island. This period saw the founding of Acadian higher educational institutions: the Saint Thomas Seminary from 1854 to 1862 and then Saint Joseph's College from 1864, both in Memramcook, New Brunswick . This

1376-639: Is a 117-mile-long (188 km) river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire , flows southward into Massachusetts , and then flows northeast until it empties into the Gulf of Maine at Newburyport . From Pawtucket Falls in Lowell, Massachusetts , onward, the Massachusetts–New Hampshire border

1462-598: Is located along the river's banks in New Hampshire. On the Merrimack River's banks are a number of cities built to take advantage of water power in the 19th century, when textile mills dominated the New England economy: Concord , Manchester , and Nashua in New Hampshire, and Lowell , Lawrence , and Haverhill in Massachusetts. At the mouth of the river is the small city of Newburyport . Prior to

1548-471: Is roughly calculated as the line three miles north of the river. The Merrimack is an important regional focus in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The central-southern part of New Hampshire and most of northeast Massachusetts is known as the Merrimack Valley . Several U.S. naval ships have been named USS  Merrimack and USS Merrimac in honor of this river. The river is also known for

1634-458: The 1875 riots in the town of Caraquet . Finally in 1875 a compromise was reached allowing for some Catholic religious teaching in the schools. In the 1880s there began a series of Acadian national conventions. The first in 1881 adopted Assumption Day (Aug.15) as the Acadian national holiday . The convention favored the argument of the priest Marcel-François Richard ( fr ) that Acadians are

1720-517: The Acadian diaspora in southern Louisiana , a region also referred to as Acadiana since the early 1960s. In the abstract, Acadia refers to the existence of an Acadian culture in any of these regions. People living in Acadia are called Acadians , which in Louisiana changed to Cajuns , the more common, rural American, name of Acadians. Explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano is credited for originating

1806-688: The Agawam and Naumkeag on the lower reaches, the Pawtucket at Lowell, Massachusetts , the Nashua , Souhegan and Namoskeag around Manchester, New Hampshire , the Pennacook northward from Bow, New Hampshire , and the Winnepisseogee at the source, Lake Winnipesaukee . According to Joseph B. Walker, relying on Chandler Eastman Potter's The History of Manchester (1856), Merremack contains

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1892-598: The Dutch occupation of Acadia ) and Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin was established at the capital of Acadia, Pentagouêt. From there he worked with the Abenaki of Acadia to raid British settlements migrating over the border of Acadia. British retaliation included attacking deep into Acadia in the Battle off Port La Tour (1677) . In response to King Philip's War in New England , the native peoples in Acadia joined

1978-703: The French and Indian War . The territory was eventually divided into British colonies. The term Acadia today refers to regions of North America that are historically associated with the lands, descendants, or culture of the former region. It particularly refers to regions of the Maritimes with Acadian roots, language, and culture, primarily in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, the Magdalen Islands and Prince Edward Island, as well as in Maine. "Acadia" can also refer to

2064-417: The Kennebec River in southern Maine and in present-day peninsular Nova Scotia. The latter involved preventing the British from taking the capital of Acadia, Port Royal (See Queen Anne's War ), establishing themselves at Canso (See Father Rale's War ) and founding Halifax (see Father Le Loutre's War ). From 1640 to 1645, Acadia was plunged into what some historians have described as a civil war. The war

2150-562: The Treaty of Paris which formally ended conflict between France and Great Britain over control of North America (the Seven Years' War , known as the French and Indian War in the United States),. The demonym Acadian developed into Cajun , which was first used as a pejorative term until its later mainstream acceptance. Britain eventually moderated its policies and allowed Acadians to return to Nova Scotia. However, most of

2236-647: The Wabanaki Confederacy and the French Priests participated in defending Acadia at its border with New England, which New France defined as the Kennebec River in southern Maine. Toward this end, the members of the Wabanaki Confederacy , on the Saint John River and in other places, joined the New France expedition against present-day Bristol, Maine (the siege of Pemaquid (1689) ), Salmon Falls and present-day Portland, Maine . In response,

2322-553: The Wabanaki Confederacy to form a political and military alliance with New France. The Confederacy remained significant military allies to New France through six wars. Until the French and Indian War the Wabanaki Confederacy remained the dominant military force in the region. There were tensions on the border between New England and Acadia, which New France defined as the Kennebec River in southern Maine. English settlers from Massachusetts (whose charter included

2408-492: The r omitted, and cartographer William Francis Ganong has shown its gradual progress northeastwards to its resting place in the Atlantic provinces of Canada. As an alternative theory, some historians suggest that the name is derived from the indigenous Canadian Miꞌkmaq language , in which Cadie means "fertile land". During much of the 17th and early 18th centuries, Norridgewock on the Kennebec River and Castine at

2494-405: The siege of Port Royal (1710) , while the Wabanaki Confederacy were successful in the nearby Battle of Bloody Creek (1711) and continued raids along the Maine frontier. The 1710 conquest of the Acadian capital of Port Royal during the war was confirmed by the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713. The British conceded to the French "the island called Cape Breton , as also all others, both in the mouth of

2580-411: The "Merrimake" and "Merrymake" of a 1721 land grant at Penacook, New Hampshire . William Wood's New England's Prospect of 1634 calls the river the "Merrimacke" and locates it eight miles beyond Agowamme ( Ipswich, Massachusetts ). It hosts, he says, "Sturgeon, Sammon and Basse, and divers other kinds of fish." Merrimac, Massachusetts , settled in 1638 and originally part of Amesbury, Massachusetts ,

2666-522: The 17th and 18th century. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Mi'kmaq had been living in Acadia for at least two to three thousand years. Early European settlers were French subjects primarily from the Poitou-Charentes and Aquitaine regions of southwestern France, now known as Nouvelle-Aquitaine . The first French settlement was established by Pierre Dugua de Mons , Governor of Acadia , under

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2752-554: The Acadian capital in the siege of Port Royal (1710) , Nova Scotia remained primarily occupied by Catholic Acadians and Miꞌkmaq. To prevent the establishment of Protestant settlements in the region, Miꞌkmaq raided the early British settlements of present-day Shelburne (1715) and Canso (1720). A generation later, Father Le Loutre's War began when Edward Cornwallis arrived to establish Halifax with 13 transports on 21 June 1749. The British quickly began to build other settlements. To guard against Miꞌkmaq, Acadian and French attacks on

2838-434: The British siege of Port Royal in 1710, mainland Nova Scotia was under the control of British colonial government, but both present-day New Brunswick and virtually all of present-day Maine remained contested territory between New England and New France, until the treaty of Paris of 1763 confirmed British control over the region. The wars were fought on two fronts: the southern border of Acadia, which New France defined as

2924-486: The British fishing port of Canso on May 23, and then organized an attack on Annapolis Royal , then the capital of Nova Scotia . However, French forces were delayed in departing Louisbourg, and their Miꞌkmaq and Wolastoqey allies decided to attack on their own in early July. Annapolis had received news of the war declaration, and was somewhat prepared when the Indians began besieging Fort Anne . Lacking heavy weapons,

3010-569: The English, Scottish, and Dutch contested the French for possession of the colony. These battles happened at Port Royal, Saint John , Cap de Sable (present-day Port La Tour, Nova Scotia ), Jemseg , Castine and Baleine . From the 1680s onward, there were six colonial wars that took place in the region (see the French and Indian Wars as well as Father Rale's War and Father Le Loutre's War ). These wars were fought between New England and New France , and their respective native allies. After

3096-510: The Francis gate seals the city's canal system off from its source on the Merrimack. The Great Gate, as it is also called, was built in 1850 under the direction of James B. Francis . Considered unnecessary when it was first constructed, "Francis' Folly" first saved the city in 1852 and subsequently in 1936. The most significant flood in the recorded history of the Merrimack was in March 1936, when

3182-481: The French priests persisted in defending Acadia, which had been conceded to the British in the Treaty of Utrecht, at its border against New England. The Miꞌkmaq refused to recognize the treaty handing over their land to the English and hostilities resumed. The Miꞌkmaq raided the new fort at Canso, Nova Scotia in 1720. The Confederacy made numerous raids on New England settlements along the border into New England. Towards

3268-468: The Gulf of Maine between the city of Newburyport and the town of Salisbury . In addition to the Merrimack River mainstem, there are dozens of sub-basins in New Hampshire and Massachusetts making up the watershed. The U.S. Geological Survey categorizes them into six fourth-level sub-basins using hydrological codes with the prefix 0107. The following are some of the other significant rivers found within

3354-426: The Indians withdrew after a few days. Then, in mid-August, a larger French force arrived before Fort Anne, but was also unable to mount an effective attack or siege against the garrison, which had received supplies and reinforcements from Massachusetts . In 1745, British colonial forces conducted the siege of Port Toulouse (St. Peter's) and then captured Fortress Louisbourg after a siege of six weeks. France launched

3440-647: The Maine area) had expanded their settlements into Acadia. To secure New France's claim to Acadia, it established Catholic missions (churches) among the four largest native villages in the region: one on the Kennebec River ( Norridgewock ); one further north on the Penobscot River ( Penobscot ); one on the Saint John River ( Medoctec ); and one at Shubenacadie (Saint Anne's Mission). During King William's War (1688–97), some Acadians,

3526-460: The Maritimes. Other Acadian national conventions continued until the fifteenth in 1972. In 1885, the author, historian and linguist Pascal Poirier became the first Acadian member of the Senate of Canada . By the early twentieth century, some Acadians were chosen for leadership positions in New Brunswick. In 1912, Monseigneur Édouard LeBlanc of Nova Scotia was named bishop of Saint John , after

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3612-431: The Merrimack River is prone to minor flooding , on May 15, 2006, rainfall raised the river more than 8 feet (2.4 m) above flood stage, forcing evacuations, damaging property, and breaking the main sewage pipeline in the city of Haverhill, Massachusetts , dumping 35 × 10 US gallons (1.3 × 10  L) of raw sewage waste into the river per day. Reports of total rainfall vary, but most areas appear to have received around

3698-433: The Merrimack River. Currently, there are six sanitary sewer systems from which untreated sewage flows directly into the Merrimack River due to infrastructure issues within the sewage system. Recent research has identified mercury contamination as a significant threat to fish and aquatic life in the Merrimack River. This research analyzes how biological mercury hotspots and watershed transport of mercury might contribute to

3784-670: The New Englanders retaliated by attacking Port Royal and present-day Guysborough . In 1694, the Wabanaki Confederacy participated in the Raid on Oyster River at present-day Durham, New Hampshire . Two years later, New France, led by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville , returned and fought a naval battle in the Bay of Fundy before moving on to raid Bristol, Maine , again. In retaliation, the New Englanders, led by Benjamin Church , engaged in

3870-462: The Nova Scotia theatre . In response to the blockade of Annapolis Royal, at the end of July 1722, New England launched a campaign to end the blockade and retrieve over 86 New England prisoners taken by the natives. One of these operations resulted in the Battle at Jeddore . The next was a raid on Canso in 1723. Then in July 1724 a group of sixty Miꞌkmaq and Wolastoqiyik raided Annapolis Royal. As

3956-426: The administration of justice. In general, these changes tended to reduce economic inequality between regions of the province, and therefore tended to favour the disadvantaged Acadian regions. The New Brunswick Official Languages Act (1969) declared New Brunswick officially bilingual with English and French having equal status as official languages. Residents have the right to receive provincial government services in

4042-536: The authority of the French King, Henri IV , on Saint Croix Island in 1604. The following year, the settlement was moved across the Bay of Fundy to Port Royal after a difficult winter on the island and deaths from scurvy . There, they constructed a new habitation . In 1607, the colony received bad news as Henri IV revoked Sieur de Mons' royal fur monopoly, citing that the income was insufficient to justify supplying

4128-739: The border in Maine during these wars. Acadia was conquered in 1710 during Queen Anne's War , while New Brunswick and much of Maine remained contested territory. Prince Edward Island (Île Saint-Jean) and Cape Breton (Île Royale) remained under French control, as agreed under Article XIII of the Treaty of Utrecht . The English took control of Maine by defeating the Wabanaki Confederacy and the French priests during Father Rale's War . During King George's War , France and New France made significant attempts to regain mainland Nova Scotia. The British took New Brunswick in Father Le Loutre's War , and they took Île Royale and Île Saint-Jean in 1758 following

4214-539: The border in the Northeast Coast Campaign and the famous Raid on Deerfield . In retaliation, Major Benjamin Church went on his fifth and final expedition to Acadia. He raided present-day Castine, Maine and continued with raids against Grand Pre , Pisiquid, and Chignecto. A few years later, defeated in the siege of Pemaquid (1696) , Captain March made an unsuccessful siege on the Capital of Acadia , Port Royal (1707). British forces were successful with

4300-529: The capital from being attacked. In July 1722, the Abenaki and Miꞌkmaq created a blockade of Annapolis Royal, with the intent of starving the capital. The natives captured 18 fishing vessels and prisoners from present-day Yarmouth to Canso. They also seized prisoners and vessels from the Bay of Fundy . As a result of the escalating conflict, Massachusetts Governor Shute officially declared war on 22 July 1722. The first battle of Father Rale's War happened in

4386-547: The colony further. Thus recalled, the last of the French left Port Royal in August 1607. Their allies, the Mi'kmaq, agreed to act as custodians of the settlement. When the former lieutenant governor, Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt et de Saint-Just , returned in 1610, he found the Port Royal habitation just as it was left. During the first 80 years of the French presence in Acadia, there were numerous significant battles as

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4472-422: The confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers. From there, the river flows south through Concord, Manchester, and Nashua, entering Massachusetts at the town of Tyngsborough , where it turns northeast and winds past or through Chelmsford , Lowell, Dracut , Tewksbury , Andover , Methuen , Lawrence, North Andover , Haverhill, Groveland , West Newbury , Merrimac , and Amesbury , to its mouth at

4558-484: The construction of Fortress Louisbourg on Île Royale, now Cape Breton Island. The British grew increasingly alarmed by the prospect of disloyalty in wartime of the Acadians now under their rule. French missionaries worked to maintain the loyalty of Acadians, and to maintain a hold on the mainland part of Acadia. During the escalation that preceded Dummer's War (1722–1725), some Acadians, the Wabanaki Confederacy and

4644-490: The construction of the Middlesex Canal , Newburyport was an important shipbuilding city, in a location to receive New Hampshire timber that had been floated downriver. The Merrimack River watershed covers 5,010 square miles (12,980 km ) in southern New Hampshire and northeastern Massachusetts. It is the fourth largest river basin in New England . The river begins in the city of Franklin, New Hampshire , at

4730-592: The designation Acadia on his 16th-century map, where he applied the ancient Greek name "Arcadia" to the entire Atlantic coast north of Virginia . "Arcadia" is derived from the Arcadia district in Greece, which had the extended meanings of "refuge" or "idyllic place". Henry IV of France chartered a colony south of the St. Lawrence River between the 40th and 46th parallels in 1603, and he recognized it as La Cadie . Samuel de Champlain fixed its present orthography with

4816-584: The early American literary classic A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers by Henry David Thoreau . The etymology of the name of the Merrimack River—from which all subsequent uses derive, such as the name of the Civil War ironclad—remains uncertain. There is some evidence that it is Native American. In 1604 the natives of later New England told Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Monts , who was leading

4902-615: The elements merruh ("strong") and auke ("place"—a recognizable locative ending), and means "the place of strong current,- a term not inappropriate, when we consider ... the river's rapids ...." Potter was an authority on Native American affairs in colonial New England. By contrast, in A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers , Henry David Thoreau implies that "its name signifies the Sturgeon River." Walker goes on to cite spellings of "Merimacke", "Merimack" and "Merrimacke" in "the colonial records of Massachusetts", as well as

4988-566: The end of January 1722, Governor Samuel Shute chose to launch a punitive expedition against Sébastien Rale , a Jesuit missionary, at Norridgewock . This breach of the border of Acadia, which had at any rate been ceded to the British, drew all of the tribes of the Wabanaki Confederacy into the conflict. Under potential siege by the Confederacy, in May 1722, Lieutenant Governor John Doucett took 22 Miꞌkmaq hostage at Annapolis Royal to prevent

5074-483: The end of the Penobscot River were the southernmost settlements of Acadia. The French government defined the borders of Acadia as roughly between the 40th and 46th parallels on the Atlantic coast. The borders of French Acadia were not clearly defined, but the following areas were at some time part of French Acadia : The history of Acadia was significantly influenced by the great power conflict between France and England, later Great Britain, that occurred in

5160-412: The exposure of aquatic life to chemical pollution within the Merrimack River. Additionally, the use of road salt in the winter has remained a major pollutant since the 1970s, and chloride contamination in the Merrimack River continues to impact aquatic life. United States politicians from New Hampshire and Massachusetts are calling for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reassess

5246-410: The fertile former Acadian lands were now occupied by British colonists. The returning Acadians settled instead in more outlying areas of the original Acadia, such as Cape Breton and the areas which are now New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Among the Acadian descendants in the Canadian Maritime provinces, there was a revival of cultural awareness which is recognized as an Acadian Renaissance, with

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5332-499: The first Acadian to be elected premier of a Canadian province. He was elected premier of New Brunswick in 1960 and served three terms until 1970. The Robichaud government created the Université de Moncton in 1963 as a unilingual French-language university, corresponding to the much older unilingual English-language University of New Brunswick . In 1964, two different deputy ministers of education were named to direct English-language and French-language school systems respectively. In

5418-408: The major Acadian communities: present-day Windsor ( Fort Edward , 1750); Grand Pre ( Fort Vieux Logis , 1749) and Chignecto ( Fort Lawrence , 1750). (A British fort already existed at the other major Acadian centre of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia . Cobequid remained without a fort.) Numerous Miꞌkmaq and Acadian raids took place against these fortifications, such as the siege of Grand Pre (1749). In

5504-468: The mills, including churches and a grid of streets. The company helped fund the digging of the Nashua power canal . After the canal was complete, the company built more mill buildings and hired more labor, likely helping the town's population rise from 1,142 to 2,417 in the years 1820-1830. In 1835, one of the founders of the company also founded the Nashua Bank, later known as the Indian Head Bank, which used its own currency. The Nashua Manufacturing Company

5590-407: The most endangered rivers in the United States, as named by the American Rivers nonprofit in 2016. Current concerns include stormwater runoff , urban stormwater, high levels of bacteria, combined sewage runoff, phosphorus creating harmful algal blooms , reduced oxygen levels, illicit sewage discharges, and litter . Combined sewer overflows (CSO) are the largest contributors to waste discharge into

5676-436: The new Protestant settlements, they erected fortifications in Halifax (Citadel Hill) (1749), Dartmouth (1750), Bedford (Fort Sackville) (1751), Lunenburg (1753) and Lawrencetown (1754). There were numerous Miꞌkmaq and Acadian raids on these villages such as the Raid on Dartmouth (1751) . Within 18 months of establishing Halifax, the British also took firm control of peninsular Nova Scotia by building fortifications in all

5762-500: The next few years, the Université de Moncton absorbed the former Saint-Joseph's College, as well as the École Normale (teacher's college) which trained French-speaking teachers for the Acadian schools. In 1977, two French-speaking colleges in Northern New Brunswick were transformed into the Edmundston and Shippagan campuses of the Université de Moncton. The New Brunswick Equal Opportunity program of 1967 introduced reforms of municipal structures, of health care, of education, and of

5848-404: The official spelling be "Merrimack". Prior to glaciation, the Merrimack continued its southward course far beyond the present day New Hampshire-Massachusetts border to enter the Gulf of Maine near Boston . Upon the glacier's retreat, debris deposited north of Boston filled the lower Merrimack Valley, redirecting the river into its current northeast bend at Lowell. The Neville archaeological site

5934-528: The remnants of Acadia came to an end with the fall of Montreal in 1760 and the 1763 Treaty of Paris , which permanently ceded almost all of eastern New France to Britain. In 1763, Britain would designate lands west of the Appalachians as the "Indian Reserve", but did not respect Miꞌkmaq title to the Atlantic region, claiming title was obtained from the French. The Miꞌkmaq remain in Acadia to this day. After 1764, many exiled Acadians finally settled in Louisiana , which had been transferred by France to Spain as part of

6020-472: The river in 1973. A 1976 study of the chemical dynamics of the Merrimack River found that at that time, the biggest pollution source was road salt . Although the river underwent significant restoration efforts from the 1970s onwards, a 1997 study found that the river continued to suffer from the long-term effects of pollution. The study identified that the river had elevated bacteria counts, low dissolved oxygen , and high nutrient levels . A few years later,

6106-457: The river of St. Lawrence, and in the gulph of the same name", and "all manner of liberty to fortify any place or places there." The French established a fortress at Louisbourg , Cape Breton, to guard the sea approaches to Quebec. On 23 June 1713, the French residents of Nova Scotia were given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave the region. In the meantime, the French signalled their preparedness for future hostilities by beginning

6192-438: The river's infrastructure, there was a noticeable change in wildlife and aquatic life. Birds, fish, and other animals returned to inhabit the river, with citizens noting specifically seeing much more American shad , striped bass , trout , and Atlantic salmon . The involvement of local volunteers in monitoring and maintaining the river has provided effective restoration efforts over the years. The Merrimack River remains one of

6278-442: The river's most serious flood events, measured at Lowell. The Francis Gate had been left in place after being dropped in 1936, so it prevented flooding in 1938 as well. In 2007, the steel beam system was again assembled in place. The song "Merrimack River" and its instrumental reprise are featured on the 2009 album Amanda Leigh by Nashua, New Hampshire, native Mandy Moore . Anya Seton 's historical novel Avalon includes

6364-538: The river. In addition, human recreational activities such as swimming and boating have been restricted in certain areas of the river due to high contamination levels. The Federal Clean Water Act of 1972 led to significant improvement for the Merrimack River. The law required sewage to be treated before being discharged into waterways. Federal funding allowed officials to create the river's infrastructure, specifically funding for wastewater treatment plants (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2006). Following these changes in

6450-511: The six major sub-basins in the watershed, listed moving downstream along the Merrimack: Since 1951, the Merrimack River has seen many alterations and pollutants. It was dammed and canalled , as well as used as a dumping spot for industrial waste . The Merrimack was essential for textile mill complexes, which used the river for discharge from their factories. Citizens recall that the river had unusual colors, smells, and vegetation as

6536-526: The various indigenous First Nations that comprised the Wabanaki Confederacy , the Acadian people and other French settlers . The first capital of Acadia was established in 1605 as Port-Royal . Soon after, English forces of Captain Argall, an English ship's captain employed by the Virginia Company of London attacked and burned down the fortified habitation in 1613. A new centre for Port-Royal

6622-476: The vital supply lines Acadians provided to Louisbourg by deporting them. This process began in 1755, after the British captured Fort Beauséjour and began the expulsion of the Acadians with the Bay of Fundy Campaign . Between six and seven thousand Acadians were expelled from Nova Scotia to the lower British American colonies . Some Acadians eluded capture by fleeing deep into the wilderness or into French-controlled Canada . The Quebec town of L'Acadie (now

6708-416: The years after the British conquest, the Acadians refused to swear unconditional oaths of allegiance to the British crown. During this time period some Acadians participated in militia operations against the British and maintained vital supply lines to Fortress Louisbourg and Fort Beausejour. During the French and Indian War , the British sought to neutralize any military threat Acadians posed and to interrupt

6794-481: Was acquired by Textron Inc. in 1945. In 1947, Textron liquidated the mill, throwing some 2,000 people out of work when the city had a population of about 25,000. Six of the mill buildings along the Nashua River were converted into apartments in the early 2000s and are now known as Clocktower Place Apartments. Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River , an occasional earlier spelling )

6880-554: Was between Port Royal, where the Governor of Acadia Charles de Menou d'Aulnay de Charnisay was stationed, and present-day Saint John, New Brunswick , where Governor of Acadia Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour was stationed. There were four major battles in the war, and d'Aulnay ultimately prevailed over La Tour. During King Philip's War (1675–78), the governor was absent from Acadia (having first been imprisoned in Boston during

6966-453: Was called West Amesbury until 1876, at which time it adopted its current name and spelling. Merrimack, New Hampshire , was incorporated in 1746, spelling its name "Marrymac" in the record of its first town meeting. It was referred to as "Merrimac" into the early 19th century: in the 1810 decennial census, it was spelled "Merrimac", but in the 1820 census and afterward, "Merrimack". In 1914, US Congressman John Jacob Rogers (MA) petitioned that

7052-911: Was chosen by the Liberal Party to complete the term of the retiring premier until 1925. The expansion of Acadian influence in the Catholic church continued in 1936 with the creation of the Archdiocese of Moncton whose first archbishop was Louis-Joseph-Arthur Melanson , and whose Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l’Assomption was completed in 1940. The new archdiocese was expanded to include new predominantly Acadian dioceses in Bathurst, New Brunswick (1938), in Edmundston (1944) and in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia (1953). In 1960, Louis Robichaud became

7138-413: Was established nearby, and it remained the longest-serving capital of French Acadia until the British siege of Port Royal in 1710. There were six colonial wars in a 74-year period in which British interests tried to capture Acadia, starting with King William's War in 1689. French troops from Quebec, Acadians, the Wabanaki Confederacy, and French priests continually raided New England settlements along

7224-531: Was followed by the founding of Acadian newspapers: the weekly Le Moniteur Acadien in 1867 and the daily L'Évangéline in 1887 ( fr ), named after the epic poem by Longfellow . In New Brunswick the 1870s saw a struggle against the Common Schools Act of 1871 , which imposed a non-denominational school system and forbade religious instruction during school hours. This led to widespread Acadian protests and school-tax boycotts, culminating in

7310-494: Was incorporated in 1823 on the initiative of Daniel Abbot. Abbot is considered the "father of Nashua", and he was part of the town when it was renamed from Dunstable, New Hampshire , to Nashua in 1837. He and other citizens began the company after buying up land from the banks of the Merrimack along the Nashua River up to Mine Falls , as they planned to use the falls to power their mills. They hired Asher Benjamin to design

7396-520: Was larger than other mills built during this time and during the 19th and early 20th centuries, bought several other textile manufacturers, including Jackson Company, Indian Head Mills, and Tremont and Suffolk Mills. The company owned the largest contiguous portion of these properties encompassing 400 acres and is now protected as Mine Falls Park and the Nashua Manufacturing Company Historic District . It

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