By Erin Bentley

The Hunter River stretches from Hartsville to Rustico Bay and has been an integral part of the vibrant communities through which it travels. In his 1765 survey of PEI, Samuel Holland named Hunter River after Thomas Orby Hunter, a deputy paymaster to the English and Dutch troops and who became Lord of Admiralty in 1761. However, some older residents of the community claim that the name Hunter River originates from the Fred Hunter, a soldier in the war of 1812-1814. The legend claims that Fred Hunter returned from war after being presumed dead, only to find his fiancée at the altar with another man. Hunter was later found frozen in the snow on the banks of what is known as Hunter River. Where the Hunter River meanders through New Glasgow, the river is known as the River Clyde. Families of Scottish descent settled in this area and named the community New Glasgow and christened the River Clyde, after the river of the same name that travels through Glasgow, Scotland. Although the river is primarily known as the Hunter River, the name River Clyde has been passed down from the originating families to their descendants and exists as the common name for the section of river that passes through New Glasgow. At the mouth of the river lies the Rustico area and Rustico Bay, which was settled in the 1760's mainly by Acadian families with the surnames of Gallant, Martin, and Doiron. The place name Rustico Bay is thought to originate from Rene Rassicot, a native of Normandy, France who settled on the North side of PEI in 1724. In 1765, Samuel Holland called it Harris Bay, with Grand Rastico as a secondary name. Later, the name Rustico Bay took precedence. Development along the river blossomed with the advent of the railway that passed through Hunter River. Mixed farming, dairying and lumbering were the most common industries and the railway allowed products of these industries to be exported and imported with ease. The river was essential for providing power for mills and water for livestock. Until the invention of diesel engines, trains stopped in Hunter River to refill their steam engines from an abundant water reservoir. In fact, the width of the river necessitated a ferry crossing in the 1820's to assist travelers in crossing the Hunter River. A few kilometers north in New Glasgow, water was essential for farming families and for the New Glasgow Fire Department, which presently and historically served the areas of Hunter River and Rustico as well. Earlier, shipbuilding was popular in this area because of the abundant mature stands of forest and the convenience of easy passage from the River Clyde to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. On the North Shore, the River Clyde flows into Rustico Bay. In South Rustico, the first Credit Union in North America was established in 1863 to support the demands of a thriving farming and fishing community. Today, fishing remains a lucrative resource and the harbour exists as an important passage for migratory species of fish to enter and exit the Hunter-Clyde River watershed.