This Week in New Brunswick History

June 7–14

June 7, 1704

During Queen Anne’s War, New England forces under Benjamin Church raided the Passamaquoddy region near present-day St. Stephen. The event was part of the ongoing struggle between French Acadian settlements, Indigenous allies, and British colonial forces.

June 8, 1866

News spread through New Brunswick and the Maritimes as colonial authorities monitored the aftermath of the Fenian incursions into Canada. The raids heightened concerns about border security and helped strengthen support for Confederation.

June 9

For much of the 1800s, early June marked the peak of spring river travel on the Wolastoq (Saint John River). Timber drives, steamboats, and trading vessels were crucial to the province’s economy and settlement patterns.

June 10

The shipbuilding era was flourishing in many New Brunswick communities during the 19th century. Ports such as Saint John and communities along the Miramichi River were among the most active wooden shipbuilding centres in British North America.

June 11

Summer fishing seasons were underway in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of St. Lawrence. Fishing, shipbuilding, and forestry formed the backbone of New Brunswick’s economy for generations.

June 12

This period reminds us of the thousands of years of history of the province’s Indigenous peoples, including the Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqey, and Passamaquoddy, whose presence in the region long predates European settlement.

June 13

Throughout the 1800s, church picnics, agricultural fairs, and community gatherings became common in June as rural communities celebrated the arrival of summer and supported local institutions.

June 14

As mid-June approached, New Brunswick’s ports entered one of their busiest periods of the year. Coastal trade, immigration, fishing fleets, and passenger steamships increased significantly with warmer weather.