Canard River of the Minas Basin. The river was once tidal for most of its length but a series of dykes first built in the 1600s held back the tide which is now stopped near the river's mouth by the Wellington Dyke. The upper reaches of the river are often referred to by the dykes which once spanned the river - Upper Dyke and Middle Dyke. The Canard river was known to the Mi'kmaq people as Apocheechumochwakade meaning "home of the black duck". The Mi'kmaq also used the mouth of the river for shad fishing. Acadians settled along the river in the
Battle of River Canard to Detroit where his left arm was amputated due to wounds. He would be liberated with the capture of Fort Detroit by the British one month later. Battle of River Canard Battle of River Canard (French "Bataille de Rivière aux Canards") was the site of an engagement between British and American forces on July 16, 1812, during the War of 1812. An American force of 280 men under Colonels Cass and Miller skirmished with a British force under Lieutenant-Colonel T.B. St. George, consisting of the British 41st Regiment, Indians and Canadian militia, near the bridge. Two British soldiers, James Hancock