A Canadian Family

Dalhousie (Restigouche, N.B.) | Forestry Fridays: Historic Views of Lumber Mills & Logging Scenes in Eastern Canada

This is an early twentieth-century, black and white vintage postcard of the Lumber and Rossing Mill of the Dalhousie Lumber Co., Ltd. in Dalhousie, New Brunswick.  It’s just one of the mills where my great-grandfather Philippe Theriault worked during the Dirty Thirties, as he moved between the Matapedia Valley (Quebec), Dalhousie and Edmunston looking for work. The Dalhousie Mill was an important employer for thousands of workers throughout the twentieth century. Unfortunately, it was closed down in 2008.

Quote from Shunkpiking Magazine:

“While the production facilities have changed hands more than a few times over the years, paper has been produced at this facility since 19 February 1930. Before that, from the same site, lumber was produced here for export to US paper mills. That mill dates back to the Ritchie’s mill, in 1856 the first steam-operated sawmill in Dalhousie.”

Related Posts:

The Forestry Industry in Eastern Canada – A Topical Index

Vintage Postcards of New Brunswick

Further Reading:

Papertown, The Dalhousie Story

Industrial History of Dalhousie

 Closing of the Dalhousie mill / Opinion piece & historical notes  - Shunpiking Magazine

The last day of work – Dalhousie Mill, January 31st, 2008

Comment by Suzan Porter 

During the Great Depression, my father-in-law, Vincent Noel, sometimes found work at this mill. He told me that he, as well as other workers, purposely broke machinery as a means of getting work or at the least, spreading work throughout the village. When the machines broke, more hands were always needed.

February 12, 2010 - Posted by Evelyn Yvonne Theriault | . | Dalhousie, forestry, lumber, New Brunswick, paper mill