West Chezzetcook et Grand Désert sont les seules communautes Acadiennes près d’Halifax/Dartmouth. Peuplé à partie des annees 1760 ; encore aujourd’hui, leurs descendants portent des noms comme Bellefontaine, Julien, LaPierre, Myatt, Pettipas Roma et Wolfe. Avant les Acadiens, l’endroit était frequenté par les Mi’kmaq.Chezzetcook, named by the Mi’kmaq peoples, means “water flowing rapidly in many channels”. Grand Désert, named by the Acadians, designated an area where the forest had been cleared. Both communities were sparsely inhabitated before the deportation of 1755. Permanent settlement began 1764, when Acadian political prisoners, captured after their banishment, were released from Ile Rouge (Red Island), present-day Devils Island, in Halifax harbour. Irish, Scots, Dutch, German and British Loyalists were also among the earliest settlers. Their livelihood was derived from fishing, farming, clam digging, wood cutting, boat building, coastal freighting and brick making.
The use of French thrived until the 1960’s. English is now the usual language. Elders, however, speak French as it was spoken by their ancestors, and preservation of Acadian cultural traditions continues today through the dedication of the entire community.
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