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The Indians were the first inhabitants of East Point. Their name for East Point was Kespemenagek which meant the end of the Island.1 Recent archeblogical diggings in the South Lake area, (the South Lake borders on the Southwestern tip of East Point), revealed that the Micmac Indians inhabited the area year—round up to two thousand years ago. There was pottery dat- ing from the time of Christ. These sites were hunting and fish- ing camps.2 The Indians can be envisaged as being very helpful

to the early French settlers. However, the history of early

" Scottish settlement in the area does not reveal the presence

of any native peoples at East Point although Indians lived sea— sonally at Portage (present day Elmira), in the mid 1800's,3 and South Lake up to the turn of the century]+ Today one may find Micmac Indian arrowheads in the area surrounding Deligent Pond.

The European discovery of the new land led to East Point's second period in history. In the 1600‘s, French and Portugese fishermen fished in the rich waters off Isle St. Jean. It is highly likely that some of these early fishermen fished off the East Point reef (long noted for its rich harvests), and established a summer settlement nearby, Dr. Keenlyside's archoelogical diggings turned up French pottery dating from the late 1600's in the Sotfi'h Lake area.5

East Point may jointly claim with St. Peters the title

of being the oldest permanent European community on Prince Edward

1