Historic Canada

Saint John West Volume II adds to and continues the story of the West Side's struggle for existence. Always dependent on seasonal industry, initially fishing and shipbuilding and later the railway and seaport, the area has seen high and low points in its 200-plus years of existence. At one time, residents imagined times would become so prosperous that King Street would be transformed into a major boulevard paved with gold and Courtenay Hill would be the site of a huge, decorative cathedral dedicated to the inner spirit. In reality, the fish have stopped coming, the wooden ships are no longer built, and the Canadian Pacific railway that provided hundreds of jobs and promised such hope has left the Maritimes. Changing trade patterns and political favours to keep the St. Lawrence open to Montreal has devastated the winter-port operations. Many Saint John West residents have had to close their businesses and move on. Others were displaced when the construction of the Harbour Bridge tore three full blocks out of the heart of the community in 1968. Still others have chosen to remain, and today, though little industry exists, the area is still vibrant and working hard to hold together some vestige of the pride of former times.

In the 1850s, lumber mill owner W. Kilby Reynolds, with engineer Edward R. Serrell, succeeded in building the first suspension bridge to connect divided Saint John. This operated as a toll crossing until 1858, when it became a government-owned structure. From then until the present, there have been two vehicular-pedestrian bridges and two rail bridges serving travelers crossing Saint John Harbour at the gorge at the Reversing Falls. By the third quarter of the 19th century, there was talk and plans for a second bridge, one which would cross at Navy Island to the North End. It took about 80 years before this plan came to fruition, and the Saint John Harbour Bridge opened in 1968. Through this rich collection of photographs, Bridging Saint John Harbour clearly shows the importance of the varied connector bridges over Saint John Harbour and how they came to be built.

East Saint John, affectionately called the "East Side," became a part of the City of Saint John in 1967. For decades prior to its merger, the city and east side community of the Parish of Simonds cooperated in many areas of municipal service. East Saint John contained many industries, including the dry dock, Foleys Pottery, and McAvitys, and later K. C. Irving's oil refinery at Silver Falls. During World War II , Fort Mispec was established at Mispec Point, and in 1970, the fort site became Irving Oil's Canaport. More than just an industrial area, East Saint John was the site of recreational fishing and boating and home to the neighbourhoods of Forest Hills, Glen Falls, Champlain Heights, and Jean and Belgrave Streets. East Saint John was also the home of the Moosepath raceway, Exhibition Park, and the Simonds Arena. Rothesay Avenue was the commercial heart of the east side until the 1970s, when new malls and shopping centers opened nearby.

To mark the 100th anniversary of the city's founding and the arrival of the first trans-Canada train, Vancouver's political and business leaders invited the whole world to participate in the festivities. The result was Expo '86, and more than 22 million people came for the party. It took eight years of planning and hard work to transform a former railroad yard into a colourful showplace full of pavilions and shows for the six-month event, but those lucky enough to have been there would agree that it was worth it. Expo '86, truly a world's fair, included pavilions from 9 provinces and territories, 54 nations and international groups, and 3 American states. Many of Canada's largest industries joined in, as well, to celebrate the fair's theme, "A World in Movement, A World in Touch." Vintage photographs recapture the fun and excitement of the largest event held to that time in British Columbia.