At the southeastern end of Spednic Lake near McAdam lies a little-known but fascinating window into New Brunswick’s distant past. Known as the Diggity archaeological site, this small First Nations settlement in southwestern New Brunswick dates back to the Woodland period and offers important clues about life along one of the province’s historic waterways. Spednic itself is the largest of the 61 lakes that flow into the St. Croix River, which eventually empties into Passamaquoddy Bay — a route that has connected people, places, and resources for centuries.
The Diggity site covers only about 400 square metres, but what was uncovered there tells a much larger story. In the mid-20th century, the area was briefly used as a logging camp by the Georgia Pacific Company, but its deeper history remained hidden until 1982, when it was identified during a survey of the St. Croix Waterway. That discovery led to an excavation in the summer of 1983, and archaeologists soon realized they had found evidence of repeated visits stretching from the Middle Woodland period right into historic times.
Among the discoveries were six hearths and a pit containing both prehistoric and historic materials. One hearth was radiocarbon dated to about 1,220 years ago, offering a direct link to the people who once gathered there. Pottery fragments with three different decorative styles were found, along with a remarkable variety of stone tools — including projectile points, drills, cutting and scraping tools, utilized flakes, a celt, and what appears to be an ulu. Other artifacts included adze blades, a hammerstone, and a piece of siltstone marked with an incised design.
The hearths offered some of the most vivid evidence of everyday life. Samples revealed charred remains of edible berries, along with bones from beaver, black bear, and other mammals. Together with the fire-cracked rock, pottery, calcined bone, and seeds, these finds suggest a campsite alive with domestic activity — food being prepared, meals being cooked, hides being worked, and tools being used for the tasks of daily living.
Archaeologists believe Diggity was part of a broader network of Woodland period occupation around Spednic Lake. Larger settlements likely stood at both ends of the lake, with smaller logistical camps in between. Mud Lake Stream appears to have been the largest site at the northern end, while Diggity is the largest of three known sites in the south. These were likely multi-season encampments, occupied from late spring through fall. Unlike the semi-subterranean dwellings found around Passamaquoddy Bay, the absence of postholes here suggests the shelters at Diggity were probably surface-supported structures, likely wigwams.
Today, Diggity remains a quiet but important reminder that the forests and waterways of southwestern New Brunswick have been places of travel, settlement, and survival for well over a thousand years. It is one more piece of the rich and layered history that lies beneath the surface of this province.
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