Description of Historic Place

The Mud Lake Stream Anthropological Site is a buried archaeological site located on the St. Croix River International Waterway. It is one of the oldest radio-carbon dated human history sites in New Brunswick.

Heritage Value

Mud Lake Stream Anthropological Site is designated a Provincial Historic Site for its current and historic association with various native cultural groups. At least three different native cultural groups are affiliated with this strategically located site, making it one of the most significant pre-contact archaeological sites in the province.

This largely undisturbed archaeological site derives much of its heritage value from the fact it was occupied periodically over 4000 years. The cultural significance of the site relates to its use by Susquahanna peoples and Meadowood peoples, the ancestors of today’s Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy peoples of both New Brunswick and Maine. The importance of the site is manifest in its subterranean cultural resources as well as in its geographical context. The proximity of land and water in the site's landscape speaks to the close relationship between the area's earliest inhabitants and natural elements.

For today’s First Nations in New Brunswick and Maine, the site’s long chronology and its strategic lakeshore location as a portage stopover on a long and important travel route, demonstrates a strong tie to, and knowledge of, the land. The use of the site as a fishing station is a testimony to the traditional use of fishery resources by these peoples.

Source: Department Wellness, Culture and Sport - Heritage Branch, Site File: Vol.VII-78

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Mud Lake Stream Anthropological Site as an expression of a significant pre-contact archaeological site include:
- strategic location of the site on the St. Croix River at the end of a portage;
- subterranean cultural resources, including artefacts and human-influenced sediment layers;
- discovered and yet-to-be discovered resources that offer a potential for increased knowledge of a number of cultural groups including Susquahanna peoples and Meadowood peoples, and their ancestors.