Hillsborough River (Prince Edward Island)

The Mi'Kmaq name for the river - Mimtugaak- describes a waterway from Northumberland Strait, at the entrance to Charlettown Harbour, winding inland through rich farm country to its source close to the white sand beaches of the north shore. For centuries, the Mi'Kmaq people fished and camped along its shores. Europeans settled here in the early 18th century, using the river far transportation and as a major ship building area in the days of sail. For most of its length, the Hillsborough is a tidal estuary with extensive salt marshes - a rich breeding area for thousands of marine birds and other creatures of the land and the sea. The great blue heron is the "statesman" of the river, an ambassador of the serenity found along its shores.