Bear River (Nova Scotia)

The Bear River (Mi'kmaq: Ls'tgug) is a minor river in western Nova Scotia, Canada. Flowing from south to north, it is 40 kilometres (25 mi) long from its headwaters to its discharge into the Annapolis Basin, some 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) east of Digby. The river is tidal for the last 9.7 kilometres (6.0 mi) of its length. The community of Bear River (which today calls itself "The Tidal Village") is situated near the head of the tide where shipbuilding took place in the nineteenth century. The river lies within an area long-occupied by native Mi'kmaq people, embodied today by members of the Bear River First Nation who still reside on the river. The native name for the river is L'sitkuk, (pronounced "elsetkook"). The area was settled by European settlers at nearby habitation at Port Royal at the start of the seventeenth century. Samuel de Champlain called it Rivière St. Antoine (St. Anthony's River) on his first map, but the name did not survive. In 1609 it appeared as Rivière Hébert (probably for Louis Hébert) on Lescarbot's map and the name held. It was altered following English occupation of the region probably in the late eighteenth century. The river forms part of the boundary between Annapolis and Digby Counties. The steep forested slopes and natural environment, particularly in the lower reaches, have led to the nickname "The Switzerland of Nova Scotia" being applied to the

Flows through: Canada.

River data from Wikidata (CC0); lengths normalised to a common unit.