Acadian Colonial Settlement Expansion (1670s)

Timeline

1. 1670–1671Annapolis Royal (formerly Port-Royal) · Nova ScotiaAfter the 1667 Treaty of Breda formally assigned Acadia to France, colonial authorities in the 1670s consolidated administration at the Bay of Fundy's core stronghold, encouraged farmers to build aboiteau dykes to drain and reclaim land, and expanded trade and intermarriage ties with the Mi'kmaq people.
2. 1671Acadian communities of the Bay of Fundy · AcadiaIn 1671 French officials completed Acadia's first systematic census, recording about 340 residents distributed among several fishing and farming settlements. The census reflected a doubling of population over the decade, with new communities extending along the bay shore and rivers toward Beaubassin and other directions.
3. 1672–1679Minas Basin and the south shore of the Bay of Fundy · Minas BasinSettlers pushed into fertile intertidal areas such as the Minas Basin, sustaining exports of cod and local supply through dyke farming, livestock raising, and coastal fishing. Scattered small landholdings and loose land policies shaped the Acadians' distinctive social structure, in contrast to Quebec's seigneurial system.