In 1672, Nicholas Denys and his mates took shelter from the storm in the Cocagne river. Noticing the abundance of wildlife and fish they named the place Cocagne which means "land of plenty". The word Cockaigne in the french folklore designated a paradise where houses were made of cakes and streets made of pastries.
In the past the Cocagne Bay was renowned for the abundance of oysters. Unfortunately this resource has almost disappeared.
The Cocagne Bay used to be deeper than it currently is. The cutting of trees along the coast and rivers has led to a considerable amount of erosion. It is said that today the first visitors to this area would not be able to bring their ships into this Bay that is filling up.
Joseph Gueguen, François Arseneau, Jean Bourg/Bourque, Paul Hébert and their families were the first to settle permanently in Cocagne. Paul Hébert and his family had spent time in the Cocagne area as refugees during the deportation years.
CORMIER, Flora (en collaboration),
Cocagne, 225 ans d'histoire, Cocagne (N.-B.),
Comité historique des aînés de Cocagne, 1993.
ISBN: 0-919488-43-9.