Why 5 places on P.E.I. have Rustico in their name - Action News
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PEI

Why 5 places on P.E.I. have Rustico in their name

There are five places on P.E.I.'s North Shore with Rustico in the name.

Locals and road signs say 'Rustico,' while official government records say it's South Rustico

Why there are 5 places in P.E.I. with Rustico in the name

4 years ago
Duration 3:35
There's North Rustico, North Rustico Harbour, Rusticoville, Anglo Rustico and South Rustico or Rustico as it's known to locals. Here is a look at why that is.

There are five places on P.E.I.'s North Shore with Rusticoin the name.

North Rustico is the only one that is incorporated as a municipality, while the other four North Rustico Harbour, Rusticoville, Anglo Rustico and South Rustico are all unincorporated localities.

Georges Arsenault, an Acadian historian and folklorist, says what is now known as Rustico Bay was called Grand Racicoduring the French regime andCovehead Bay was known as Petit Racico.

Rustico Bay was known as Grand Racico during the French regime, says Acadian historian and folklorist Georges Arsenault. Now five communities along it have adopted Rustico in their names. (Danny Arsenault/CBC)

"They believe it was named after Ren Rassicot who was a fisherman from Normandy who came to the Island and married into the Gallant family," saidArsenault.

However, Arsenault saidthere's no indication Rassicot ever lived in the area now known as Rustico. According tothe 1752 census, he lived in Port-La-Joye.

"So it's a mystery why the area, why those two bays, were named Racico and eventually changed to Rustico," he said.

Arsenault saidthe area was settled by Acadians after the deportation in the 1760s, which is when the name Rustico started to take hold in the communities there.

South Rustico or Rustico?

Retired teacher Art Buotewas born and raised "just down the street" from theFarmers' Bank of Rustico. He saidhis family dates back several generations to those earlier Acadian settlers in the area.

He doesn't hesitate when asked what the community is called.

"This place is called Rustico. Not South Rustico.Rustico."

Art Buote stands by the Farmers' Bank of Rustico, now a museum. Buote grew up 'just down the street' from here and says his family has been in the area for generations. (Danny Arsenault/CBC)

The signs on the road agree with him. They read Rustico. But according to provincial and federal governments, the official name is South Rustico.

"I know on the 1880 map they indicate that little village or area as S. Rustico. Meaning South Rustico," saidArsenault. "But for people living in that area, for them, they always called it Rustico."

Road signs say Rustico, as do locals, however the locality is listed as South Rustico in both provincial and federal place databases. (Danny Arsenault/CBC)

Acknowledging the history of the area is important to Buote, and that includes calling it Rustico.

"When the Acadians were permitted to return, when they did return to Prince Edward Island in the very early 1760s, this is where it is settled. Right where you are standing now," he saidstanding nearthe Farmers' Bank, which isnow a museum.

"So we feel that this is where the Rustico belongs we're very proud of this area."

The other 4 Rusticos

Arsenault saidthe other four places eventually came to adopt Rustico within their names as well. Rusticoville used to be called New Bridge, he said.

"Probably when they built a new bridge on the river there."

He says in the 1880s a public meeting was held to decide on a new name, and Rusticoville was chosen.

George Arsenault says Rusticoville used to be known as New Bridge. Residents voted to change the name in the 1880s. (Danny Arsenault/CBC)

"They decided they needed a better name than New Bridge so they voted for Rusticoville. And it's located between North Rustico and Rustico," he said.

He said Anglo Rustico came to be in the 1860s, as it was where the Protestant school for anglophone children was.

"My interpretation is that's how it came about, because you have the same situation around Tignish, where you have Anglo Tignish," he said.

Georges Arsenault
Acadian historian and folklorist Georges Arsenault says the exact origin of the name Rustico is a mystery, but it's thought to be named after Ren Rassicot, a fisherman from Normandy. (Danny Arsenault/CBC)

North Rustico is the only one that is incorporated as a municipality.

"North Rustico was for many people called the crick and there was a fishing village," Arsenaultsaid. "For a while it was quite poor. Most of the people, a lot of the people didn't have farms, they just fished."

'It's not very confusing'

He said it eventually became its own parish, named North Rustico, probably to distinguish itself from Rustico.

The North Rustico Harbour, at the tip ofNorth Rustico,is also its own locality.

North Rustico is the only one of the five that is incorporated. The North Rustico Harbour, which is adjacent to North Rustico, is also its own locality. (Danny Arsenault/CBC)

Arsenault saidit's not uncommon to find place names repeated in an area, giving the examples of Bedeque (Bedeque, Central Bedeque, Lower Bedeque and North Bedeque) and Tignish (Anglo Tignish, Tignish Corner and Tignish Shore).

"Not for local people, it's not very confusing," laughsBuote.

Tapu Tuitn to the Mi'kmaq

While the word Rustico may be ubiquitous in places along Rustico Bay, the area also has another name from long before it was settled by the Acadians.

L'nuey, a group with amandate to preserve, protect and implement the rights of the Island's Mi'kmaq people, saidit is calledTapu Tuitn, which means double narrows.

The Mi'kmaq call the area Tapu Tuitn, which means double narrows. (Danny Arsenault/CBC)

"TheRusticoBay area was the site of large historical Mi'kmaq campsites, extensive resource use, and numerous archeological sites," saidan email from the group.

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