Guideline: Is of outstanding importance owing to its influence, over a period of time, on the historical development of Canada through a major impact upon the region in which it is located or beyond; this would include its role in such significant historical themes as native people, settlement patterns and transportation.

Three Rivers was a major influence on settlement patterns and transportation corridors in eastern PEI and, by extension, for the Island as a whole. Early Mi'kmaq peoples used the Three Rivers as travel corridors, as evidenced by their names for the Cardigan and Montague Rivers (Oaipogtojg, possibly meaning "grassy woods")and Cardigan Bay (Samcook, "sandy shore") Three Rivers was explored by the French in the early 1700s; an early map of Isle St. Jean, dated c.1723, identifies only a handful of locations including the Three Rivers Area.

Brudenell Point was home to one of the first French settlements on Prince Edward Island. Set up as a fishing and trading colony, the Roma settlement lasted from 1732 to 1745 making it the longest company-run French venture in Prince Edward Island's history. Roma is credited with building the Island's first roads. A French map c.1750 graphically illustrates the significance of the Three Rivers area: the only roads on the Island - at this early date no more than trails blazed through the forest - are in Kings County, and all lead to Trois Rivieres. Roma's road to St. Pierre du Nord (St. Peter's) was still being used by the Mi'kmaq several years after his departure. The Roma settlement established Three Rivers as a centre of transportation, commerce and regional development.

This role as a centre of transportation continued with the beginning of the first ferry service affecting Three Rivers, in 1790. At this time, a ferry across the Hillsborough River began to bring people to the newly-improved Georgetown Road and on to Three Rivers. From this evolved a system linking the Three Rivers themselves: ferries between Georgetown and Lower Montague, across the Cardigan River at Newport, and between St. Georges and Poplar Point were established. A portage lead to a ferry service in Launching that connected Three Rivers with Annandale on the north bank of the Grand (Boughton) River. Remains of ferry docks at Newport, Morrison's Beach, St. Georges, and Poplar Point can still be seen. This is a primary example of an early interior rivers ferry system.

In keeping with the importance of transportation, it is noted that the tallest railway bridge on PEI crosses the Brudenell River (Figure 5, #17).

The tallest railway bridge on Prince Edward Island, crosses the Brudenell River.

In 1803, Lord Selkirk brought over 800 Scottish highlanders to the Island, settling them in Orwell and Three Rivers. Selkirk's success with settlement on PEI undoubtably paved the way for his Red River settlements in central Canada.

The outstanding harbour that drew early French and later Scottish, Irish and English settlement also attracted the attention of hundreds of Maritime and American fishermen. This, combined with the significant shipbuilding industry of Three Rivers - especially from the Cardigan River - the early roads and the interior ferry system make transportation a significant historical theme.

The addition of the Three Rivers Area to the Canadian Heritage Rivers System would place it among the earliest settled areas, and one of the most regionally significant waterways in the system.

Guideline: Is strongly associated with persons, events, movements, achievements, ideas or beliefs of Canadian significance

The Three Rivers Area is associated with several individuals considered to be of national, regional or provincial significance. Among the most nationally significant person was Andrew A. Macdonald, Father of Confederation. Other regionally or provincially significant people include Senator J. A. MacDonald (resident of Cardigan and major shipbuilder on the Island) and Margaret MacDonald, first female from the Maritimes to be elected to the House of Commons. The only independent candidate ever elected to the Prince Edward Island Legislature was John A. Dewar of New Perth (1919). Additionally, four Island premiers are associated with the Three Rivers Area: J.A. Mathieson, J.D. Stewart, and W.B. Campbell and P. Binns.

Three Rivers was a leader in establishment of the cooperative movement on Prince Edward Island. In 1892, the province's first cooperative dairy was established in New Perth. The cooperative is considered to mark the beginning of a change in Island agriculture: the family farm as a way of life was slowly being replaced by "farming for profit". The first egg circle on Prince Edward Island was started in the Three Rivers area and worked so well that egg circles spread across the province. The model was copied in other Maritime provinces and beyond.

Three Rivers lays claim to significant achievements in both the agriculture and aquaculture industries. Two highly significant cash crops - seed pototoes and tobacco - were pioneered in Three Rivers, the former by the Walker family and the latter by Sir Andrew Macphail. Three Rivers was among the first estuaries to be used for mussel aquaculture on Prince Edward Island, and the Cardigan Fish Hatchery was the first Federally-funded salmonid-rearing facility on PEI.

The first hydro-electric dam on Prince Edward Island began producing electricity in the Three Rivers area in 1899. The original dam was built in Valleyfield, but by 1905 it was moved to Knox's dam to meet the growing demand for electricity from Montague. In the early 1920s the Montague Electric Company was producing the cheapest electricity east of Ontario.

One of the major achievements of the Three Rivers Area was the relatively large number of ships built in the combined area since 1788. The 415 vessels built here places Three Rivers among the top producers of vessels in the province, second only to the Hillsborough River.

Guideline: Contains historical or archaeological structures, works or sites which are unique, rare or of great antiquity.

The most outstanding known archaeological site in Three Rivers is the Roma Settlement, declared a National Historic Site in 1936. DeGros Marsh may also be the site of archaeological structure(s).

The historical architecture of Three Rivers is typical of other areas on Prince Edward Island. The rivers (especially Cardigan) are lined with century-old farmhouses. Amongst the most impressive houses in the region are: Nicholson House, Commercial Cross; Smith House, New Perth; Quinn House, Cardross; Goff House, Woodville Mills; Aitken House, Lower Montague; McNichols (or Best) Mansion, Cardigan; Coyle House, Cardigan.

The town of Georgetown is said to have a higher proportion of mid-1800 dwellings than any other place on the Island. Included in the inventory of historical homes in Georgetown are; "The Highlands", Fairchild House, Lavandier House, Macdonald-Mair House, and Doyle House.

Significant architectural landmarks include a stone fence surrounding the land on which the Goff house is situated. Built in the early 1800s, this fence is in a herringbone pattern, one of the few such fences ever found on the Island. The Garden of the Gulf museum, the first museum on Prince Edward Island, is a fine example of construction using Island sandstone. The Georgetown courthouse was built by William C. Harris, a nationally-prominent Island architect.

There are at least five pioneer cemeteries located within the Three Rivers watershed: one on Panmure Island, one on Wightman's Point, one in Launching, and one on Launching (Bruce) Point and one on Brudenell Island.

Guideline: Contains outstanding examples or concentrations of historical or archaeological structures, works or sites which are representative of major themes in Canadian history.

Among the key themes represented in the Three Rivers area are Canadian exploration and settlement patterns. The Roma settlement, early roads, interior river ferry systems and other historical sites are nationally, regionally and provincially significant. Combined, they appear to constitute both outstanding examples and concentrations of sites relating to major themes in Canadian history.

6.3 Human Heritage Integrity

Purpose of this section: To describe how the rivers appear to meet the historical integrity guidelines.

In addition to meeting at least one of the above guidelines, for a river to be judged to have outstanding Canadian human heritage value, it should possess all of the following integrity values.

Guideline: In every case consideration should be given to the state of preservation of the river environment relative to its visual appearance during the historic period in which the waterway is considered to be of outstanding importance

(A) Most of its regime should have the same visual appearance as it had during the period of the river's historical importance.

While little information is available on the role Three Rivers played in the daily lives of PEI's original residents, the high quality of the rivers combined with the place names given to these areas by the Aboriginal community suggest that Three Rivers is historically important from the period beginning after the last ice age up to European contact in the early 1700s. Three Rivers is clearly historically important for the French and Acadian period of 1720 to 1758, as well as for the subsequent European period, especially during the height of shipbuilding (1840 to 1889). The visual appearance of Three Rivers was significantly different during each of these periods. Although the forest has changed significantly over time and there are the expected intrusions of modern buildings and their associated utility poles and lines, the general topography of the area and the rivers themselves have undergone no radical alterations.

(B) Most of the artifacts comprising the values for which the river is nominated must be unimpaired by impoundments or human land uses.

With the heavy influence of human activities on all Prince Edward Island watersheds, Three Rivers has not escaped impoundments; 14 man-made ponds are found throughout the watershed. Many of these are small ponds in and around the Caledonia Hills. While these may impair natural integrity values as defined by CHRS, it is noted that the historical and cultural features of these ponds in the Island landscape cannot be ignored. The original impoundments were created as mill ponds for industry. One such dam was the first site on PEI to generate hydro-electric power. In addition to existing dams, water was impounded in small, temporary ponds to ease the transportation of logs to market. Many of the smaller dams have collapsed and been forgotten, others purposefully removed by stream enhancement efforts to improve fish habitat, lower water temperature and improve water quality.

Guideline: Neighboring land uses must not seriously affect the historical experience offered by the river environment.

Primary neighboring land uses include agriculture, forestry and the shell fishery. Any effects of these uses are, for the most part, minor with respect to the historical experience offered by the river.

Guideline: The biophysical quality of the water must be suitable for non-contact recreation

Water quality testing and monitoring by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the PEI Department of Technology and Environment indicates that the water of the Three Rivers is suitable for non-contact recreation.

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