New Brunswick's Oxbow Site and Augustine Mound (Designated National and Provincial Historic Sites)

The Red Bank area on the Northwest Miramichi River has more Native archaeological sites than anywhere else in the Maritimes. Where the Northwest and the Little Southwest Miramichi rivers meet, there are many, many sites! From the age, number, size and type of archaeological sites present, it is clear that Red Bank was an important social and cultural center for the ancestors of the Miramichi Mi’kmaq.

Old campsites, ranging anywhere from 10 metres to 500 metres in length line the river banks. The best fishing pools are nearby where deep channels cut close to the shore, and where the fresh and salt waters meet. Without a great deal of carefully controlled testing, it is sometimes difficult for archaeologists to determine where one campsite ends and another begins. This is especially true for the area of the high terrace between the two rivers.

The majority of Red Bank's ancient villages or campsites were lived on within the last 2500 years. The Oxbow, the Wilson, and the Mitchell sites are three of the largest sites in the area. While there is little on the present surface to indicate the locations of these former communities, the earth beneath reads like a book.

At undisturbed sites, layers of charcoal and habitation debris represent ancient earthen living floors. The sites were often heavily used and contain evidence of houses, the remains of many campfires, cooking pits and food drying racks. There are areas where meat was prepared and places where tools were made. Artifacts from the old villages include stone arrowheads, scrapers, knives and axes. As well, thousands of stone chips, pieces of clay cooking pots, and fire-burned rocks are present.

In addition to the villages, archaeological surveys of the higher terraces surrounding Red Bank have turned up over sixty large food storage pits which are at least 1200 years old. These storage cellars, some as deep as two metres and having diameters of four to five metres, were dug into heavy gravel which offered excellent drainage. Archaeology work at the Mejipki site suggests that the storage pits were covered with bark or sod roofs. Excavations also suggest that many pits are not visible on today's surface.

As well as the many campsites and storage pits, at least four ancient Native cemeteries have been found at Red Bank. One of the cemeteries accidentally uncovered in 1928 confirms that nearly 3000 years ago the area had visitors from the Great Lakes region of central Canada. The Meadowood people camped and fished at Red Bank and they left archaeological evidence of their presence. Meadowood campfires and arrow points are found in a portion of the ancient Wilson site on the Northwest Miramichi.