98 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



Historic Sites. 



age " I think it wholly probable that this road follows the general 

 route of an early Indian portage though I have not been able to 

 confirm this either from residents or from the Indians at Bathurst. 

 The other led from the lower Pokemouche to the South Branch of 

 St. Simon. I was told by more than one old resident that it crossed the 

 open barren from the part of Pokemouche Bay called on the maps 

 Musquash Cove to St. Simon; but Joe Prisk told me that he has 

 used it in early days, and that it ran from a cove near the Ferry (viz. 

 the present highway bridge), followed the present highway to opposite 

 St. Simon waters, and then turned directly down to the latter. We 

 probably have here another case of the early abandonment of the 

 original Indian paths when the first roads in their vicinity were 

 built, as earlier discussed, and it is altogether likely the original 

 path was by the shorter route from Musquash Cove. It is possible 

 that there was also a portage into Little Pokemouche, for use in 

 travelling along the coast, and perhaps one extended from Little 

 Pokemouche into St. Simon. 



From St Simon to the Caraquet region travel was no doubt 

 chiefly along the coast by the sheltered route of the Little Pass. 

 (Map No. 33). But for reaching the upper part of St Simon from 

 Caraquet, the Indians appear to have had another route via the 

 Portage Brook at the northern bend of St Simon shown on Fergusons 

 map of 1820 (Map No. 33). Upon another old plan in the Crown 

 Land Office, one of 1832, a path, or road runs from Caraquet directly 

 south to this brook, and beyond it to the L. Mailliou lot, and very likely 

 represents in part the original portage path. The path seems now 

 abandoned, but apparently ran somewhat east of the present railway. 

 The route, however, could not have been much used, or it would no 

 doubt have been taken by Smethurst's Indians in 1701. 



The " portage " from Caraquet to Pokemouche, making those 

 places three or four leagues apart, mentioned by Plessis in his journal 

 of 1811 (page 107) was of course not an Indian route, but a road 

 or path through the woods made by the white residents, and it was 

 probably along the route of the present highway between those 

 places. Another early road of this kind, seemingly now abandoned, 

 existed from Caraquet to Pokemouche River which it crossed at 

 Peters Brook, and continued on to Tracadie. It was perhaps the 

 presence of this road, and not an Indian portage, which gave Peters 

 Brook its Indian name of Waganchitch or " Little Portage." 



From Caraquet to Bathurst the natural route of Indian travel 

 would be, apparently, along the coast. But this is a very dangerous 

 journey for a canoe because of the great cliffs, extending along this 

 exposed coast, and excluding any possibility of landing for miles toget- 

 her. It is not impossible therefore, that some route by way of the Cara- 

 quet River and its branch Innishannon Brook, with perhaps Teagues 

 Brook, may have been utilized to avoid this dangerous coast. But 

 I have found no trace of such a route. 



But in addition to the route along-shore and through the lagoons 

 from Miramichi to Nepisiguit, it is altogether probable there was 



