Saint John Attractions

Saint John (the name is always written in full and without an apostrophe "s" to distinguish it from St John's which, as the locals are quick to point out, is in Newfoundland. New Brunswick's largest town, is also the province's major industrial center and a thriving port. It stands on a rocky estuarine spur at the point where the Saint John River disgorges into the Bay of Fundy. Known affectionately to the people of the province as "fog city" (on account of the sea fogs which from time to time roll in off the Bay), the peculiarities of its site mean that Saint John has few straight roads, and a great many cul-de-sacs instead.

On a clear summer's day, with a wind to blow the smell of wood pulp (emanating from the big, riverside paper mills) away from the town, Saint John is really rather attractive.

History

Samuel de Champlain and Sieur de Monts set foot ashore in the Saint John Estuary in 1604. They were followed a few years later by their compatriot, Charles de la Tour, who established a trading post. In 1645 Sieur de Menou d'Aulney, a fellow Frenchman from Port Royal, destroyed the post, initiating a period of intense internecine rivalry among the French in Acadia - at a time also of almost continuous Anglo-French hostilities.

Eventually the area was ceded to Britain at the Treaty of Paris in 1763 and a new trading post was set up.

The town of Saint John is regarded as having itself been founded in 1783. On May 18th of that year the sails of a huge fleet were sighted in the mouth of the river. Aboard the ships were 3000 Loyalists fleeing the American War of Independence and with their arrival the little settlement was transformed almost overnight into a boom town. By the end of the year the number of newcomers had risen to 4200, many of whom made their way north along the river to settle at Fredericton. Most of the new arrivals were well-to-do people who had lost nearly everything during the revolution. Few came equipped with the necessary pioneering skills for wresting a home from the wilderness. But somehow they survived and in due course built up a prosperous maritime city known in addition for its lively social life.

In the 19th c. the city's flourishing shipbuilding industry and many trading links earned Saint John the reputation of being North America's Liverpool.

In 1877 more than half the town was burned down in a catastrophic fire. When some years later the era of wooden ships came to an end, Saint John fell into decline, a fate shared with other communities on the Atlantic seaboard. Although the port continued in operation it was only in the 1960s that prosperity returned, with vast sums of money being invested in the paper industry and sugar and oil refineries. Harbour facilities were improved by the construction of a container terminal and deep water berths (for supertankers) and Saint John experienced both a resurgence of its shipyards and the growth of a number of newly diversified industries responsive to the needs of its port.

In July each year the founding of the city is celebrated in style with a re-enactment of the Loyalist landing. Everyone dresses up in 18th c. costume and there is a big parade. Wining, dining and dancing in the street complete the festivities.