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History Behind
Bear River
Native Mi’kmaq people
inhabited this scenic glacial valley many thousands of years before
the arrival of the Europeans. The tidal river that they called “L’sitkuk
Elsetuk”, provided easy travel to the coast where they harvested
various fish and clams. Inland they hunted abundant wild game, including
caribou.
During a severe winter storm (around 1605-9) one
of Champlain’s supply ships in command of Simon Imbert took refuge
here and thereafter the river bore his name. Following the French
Expulsion of 1755 the English settled the land and then call the
river Bear - a corruption of Imbert.
Among the first white
settlers (1783) were German mercenaries known as Waldecians and
Hessians. Other settlers that followed included the names
Chute, Rice, Miller, Clarke, Troop, and Harris. The land lots
purchased by many of those families are still in evidence in the
community. Due to the shortage of suitable level land, the
downtown area was largely built on piers and stilts or on artificially
created land supported by retaining walls.
The high river
tides (7m) combined with an abundance of easily accessible mature
oak and various softwood tree’s made shipbuilding and lumbering
two important and profitable industries. Markets were readily
found in the West Indies, England, and North America. In its
hey day (1890’s) Bear River had six shipyards and six lumber mills
even though its population was only 1200. With the affluence
so generated, many shops, supply stores, and service centres were
established. Many large, elaborate homes were constructed
along the steep hillsides on both sides of the river. Later,
visitors would refer to the area as “The Switzerland of Nova Scotia”:
a name by which it is often described to this day.
Various
wood articles were produced at Bear River in the 1800’s and early
1900’s. These include hogshead staves for the local and export
market, barrels for the sugar refineries at Moncton and Halifax,
and barrels for the apples and other
Photo credit : David
Thibodeau ©
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fruits locally
produced. Block making and wool carding as well as specialized sawing
done to order were other occupations of these industrious people.
The Clark Bros., among their many enterprises, catered to hunting
and fishing parties but their biggest single endeavor was their
sawmill and woodworking plant at Lake Jolly, about 14km South East
of Bear River. Here they produced spruce and pine lumber
as well as shingles and box material. The mill was later converted
to handle hardwood and produced dowels, clothes pins, window sashes,
door frames and toy furniture.
By the turn of the
century steam engines and steel hulls signaled an end to the age
of sailing ships and the people turned to logging as their primary
source of income. The influential Clarke family even promoted
a pulp mill for the area (1919-1920).
Since then much has
been done to cater to the tourist trade which is now the main
industry of the region. One of its primary undertakings
has been a waterfront development project including
a park complete with grass, trees, picnic tables, a board-walk
overlooking the river and a tourist chalet.
Another unique
endeavor has been the construction and operation of a solar aquatic
sewage facility. Village sewage is treated using aquatic plants, bacteria,
in a greenhouse enclosure.
An increased awareness of the
environment and ecology has resulted in a large increase in the
number of striped bass and salmon returning to the river each year.
This, it is hoped, will help attract tourists, to Bear River
in the distant future.
Source/credit information: History
SAWPOWER: Making Lumber in
the Sawmills of Nova Scotia by Barbara R. Robertson. A co-publication
of Nimbus Publishing Ltd. and the Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax, Nova
Scotia, 1986. Crown copyright, Province of Nova Scotia, the
Department of Education & the Nova Scotia
Co-produced by: Heather Charlton
of the Bear River Board of Trade P.O. BOX 235,
Bear River Nova Scotia, B0S 1B0
(902) 467-3200
(902) 467-0901
Fax
mailto:bearriver.ns.ca@email.com
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