Page 1 2 3 4 5 Quiz

The Parks / New Brunswick / Kouchibouguac National Park

Few traces remain of the first Maritime Archaic Indians, later followed by the nomadic Micmac about 4000 years ago, who set up various small summer camps on the banks of the Kouchibouguac River. By the 17th century a trading post had been established and eventually a few French settlers began to arrive and build permanent colonies. The arrival of Acadians eluding deportation by the British in 1755, the United Empire Loyalists fleeing the War of Independence twenty years later, and further Europeans, mainly Scots and Irish, drastically changed how the land and sea were used. By 1820, a warring Britain began looking to Canada for lumber and the logging industry quickly surpassed fur as Canada’s main export. The tall, straight white pine, then predominant in the area, were perfect for ship masts and booms. The demand was so great that ships were needed to transport the lumber and shipyards sprang up along the mouth of the Kouchibouguac River; between 1826 and 1865, forty-two ships were built and launched. With the advent of steam ships, the ship building industry shifted to the manufacture of paper. Pulp and paper became New Brunswick’s largest industry. In the 1850’s, with the development of sealed cans, the fishing industry also grew as shipbuilding declined. Fish and lobster canneries became the mainstay of the local economy. Clam digging still provides a small income or a pleasant outing for families. Historical cultural resources include important archeological sites, historic cemeteries, coastal engineering works, and reforested lands once used for agriculture or harvested for timber and pulp.