Nicolas Denys

Born in Tours, France, Denys first came to Nova Scotia as part of an expedition led by Isaac de Razilly in 1632. According to some sources, he was probably a descendant of Jean Denys, the famous explorer who made a map of Canada in 1506.

Through the Compagnie de La Nouvella France Denys became actively engaged in fishing and trading with Acadia. He is credited for founding the Canadian lumber industry with his operations at La Heva (Bridgewater), established in 1634.

Denys founded a network of fishing and trading posts, at St Peter’s and St Anne’s in Cape Breton, as well as in New Brunswick and on mainland Nova Scotia. In the 1650s he was named governor of the Gulf Islands. However, he suffered from a various misfortunes, natural, political and financial, and consequently died as a poor man.

His greatest achievement was his Description Geographique et Historique des Costes de l’Amerique Septentrionale intended to encourage settlement in Acadia and today considered to be “one of the most valuable accounts of Acadia produced in the 17th century”.