TRANSPORTATION : RIVER, ROADS AND RAILWAY The River The Hillsborough River is Prince Edward Island 's largest tidal river with an overall length of 35 kilometres. It arises in and empties into . ' The river has had several names. During the French regime it was the Riviere du Nord -est.2 Later under British control Samuel Holland named the river after the Earl of Hillsborough , Commissioner of Trades and Plantations. Today the river is still the Hillsborough but is often referred to as the . Utilized by both the early French and British settlers this river was the first and for many years the main transportation link for the community now called Marshfield . Recognizing the importance of the Hillsborough to Prince Edward Island 's history, the river was designated a Canadian in 1997. The first existing record of a journey up the Riviere du Nord -est has been left to us in a report to the commandant of Louisbourg by Colonel Franquet 3 of the French army engineers. On August 9,1751, Colonel Franquet having finished his survey of the defences of Port la Joie started up the Riviere du Nord -est as part of his journey to St. Peters . Franquet describes farms along the river at l'Anse aux Morts, la Petite Ascension and la Riviere des Blancs4 which are today's Spring Garden Creek , Wright's Creek and Homes Creek. (Homes Creek has also been known as Goff's Creek, Mill Creek and is now commonly referred to as Marshfield Creek ). In a census5 that was taken in 1752 by Sieur de la Roque the following entry exists for an established family, farming along the north bank of the river, consisting of: A man 45 years old resident of the Island for 28 years, his wife of 33 years of age and their seven sons and one daughter ranging in age from four months to 16 years. They had four oxen, four cows, three heifers, two bulls, four sows, two pigs and three fowl. Their holdings were four arpents [11.5 chains] in width by forty arpents [115 chains] in depth [approximately 130 acres]. On the J. Plaw map of 1811 the importance of the river as a highway before any roads existed is evident. Only those farms with frontages on the Hillsborough are settled. The north side of the road to St. Peters through Marshfield remains unsettled. David Ross farmed along the river near Scott's Creek in Marshfield from the 1830's to the 1880's and kept a diary. Through his diary6 he has given us a valuable look at the importance of the river to daily life. He records work on his boat the "Oscar" and travel along the river to the mill to have grain ground into flour. The annual freeze and thaw cycles of the river are recorded. The freezing of the river provided a smooth highway allowing travel by horse and sleigh. A typical entry in Ross's diary would read, "January 17, 1837 Sleighs loaded with hay passed down the river being first loads of any kind up to this date which have ventured." Travel on the river ice while welcome was fraught with hazards. Travel was facilitated by small fir and spruce trees being placed in the ice to "bush" or mark safe passage. Hazards, such as springs causing thin ice, could cause a person or team to break through the ice. The practice of bushing the ice continued well into the 20th century. Individuals were appointed in each community by the government to perform this service. Their pay being relief from their property tax. Individuals could also become lost or stranded on the ice if sudden storms reduced visibility. Ross records in his diary being out at day break on the morning of February 8, 1839 to search for his neighbour Archie MacGregor . Archie was found on the river ice with both feet and one hand frozen "as white and as hard as marble." The next entry by David Ross in his diary notes Archie MacGregor 's death on February 22 and his funeral on the 25th. Both sea-going and coastal vessels travelled up the river as far as Mount Stewart during the navigation season which usually ran from late April to early December. Apple located in Frenchfort was the closest wharf to Marshfield for the shipment of goods. In the general remarks appended to the 1861-census7 return for Lot 35 reference is made to the wharf. "Apple is not in a sufficient state to load vessels of common size at high water they cannot get out or in. I wish attention to be drawn to this fact as we have not received any money from the government for some years back." -163-