Doaktown, New Brunswick
Encyclopedia
Doaktown is a Canadian
village in Northumberland County
, New Brunswick
.
and was first settled in 1807 for use as a base for the growing lumber
industry in central New Brunswick. United Empire Loyalists
came to the area after the American Revolutionary War
and pooled the money needed for a land grant and received a grant under Ephriam Betts, the leader of the group.
Later, when the Doak family moved to the area from Scotland
, Ephriam was experiencing financial difficulty. Robert Doak
was able to purchase a large amount of the original land grant and built a farm and grist mill on the property.
As the population grew, Robert Doak
became a prominent citizen in the area. He served with the government in several capacities, including magistrate and justice of the peace.
When the post office first came to the area, a name had to be chosen. Since Robert Doak was a prominent citizen, the area was named after him, originally as Doakton. However, it was later changed to Doaktown as it is today.
The village has a prosperous lumber industry including the Russell and Swim sawmill now owned by J.D. Irving Limited.
Atlantic Salmon
fishing is also a very popular sport in the area attracting people from all over the world to fish the legendary Miramichi River
.
The village has two museums: the Doak Historic Site and the Atlantic Salmon Museum. Other nearby attractions include the Priceville Footbridge
, the longest suspension footbridge in New Brunswick, and Nelson Hollow Bridge
, the oldest covered bridge in the province.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
village in Northumberland County
Northumberland County, New Brunswick
Northumberland County , having the largest area of any county in the province, is located in northeastern New Brunswick, Canada.-Geography:Northumberland County is covered by thick forests, whose products stimulate the economy...
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
.
History
It is situated on the Southwest Miramichi RiverSouthwest Miramichi River
The Southwest Miramichi River is a Canadian river in New Brunswick.The river has its origin in Carleton County, at Miramichi Lake in the Miramichi Highlands . Its two branches join near the village of Juniper, NB...
and was first settled in 1807 for use as a base for the growing lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
industry in central New Brunswick. United Empire Loyalists
United Empire Loyalists
The name United Empire Loyalists is an honorific given after the fact to those American Loyalists who resettled in British North America and other British Colonies as an act of fealty to King George III after the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War and prior to the Treaty of Paris...
came to the area after the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and pooled the money needed for a land grant and received a grant under Ephriam Betts, the leader of the group.
Later, when the Doak family moved to the area from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Ephriam was experiencing financial difficulty. Robert Doak
Robert Doak
Robert Doak is an Australian sprint canoer who competed in the mid 1980s. He finished seventh in the K-4 1000 m event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.-References:*...
was able to purchase a large amount of the original land grant and built a farm and grist mill on the property.
As the population grew, Robert Doak
Robert Doak
Robert Doak is an Australian sprint canoer who competed in the mid 1980s. He finished seventh in the K-4 1000 m event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.-References:*...
became a prominent citizen in the area. He served with the government in several capacities, including magistrate and justice of the peace.
When the post office first came to the area, a name had to be chosen. Since Robert Doak was a prominent citizen, the area was named after him, originally as Doakton. However, it was later changed to Doaktown as it is today.
The village has a prosperous lumber industry including the Russell and Swim sawmill now owned by J.D. Irving Limited.
Atlantic Salmon
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
fishing is also a very popular sport in the area attracting people from all over the world to fish the legendary Miramichi River
Miramichi River
The Miramichi River is a Canadian river located in the east-central part of New Brunswick. The river drains into Miramichi Bay in the Gulf of St. Lawrence...
.
The village has two museums: the Doak Historic Site and the Atlantic Salmon Museum. Other nearby attractions include the Priceville Footbridge
Priceville Footbridge
McNamee/Priceville Footbridge is the longest suspension footbridge in New Brunswick, Canada. It spans the Southwest Miramichi River at McNamee, approximately 12 km west of Doaktown, New Brunswick....
, the longest suspension footbridge in New Brunswick, and Nelson Hollow Bridge
Nelson Hollow Bridge
The Nelson Hollow Bridge is the oldest covered bridge in New Brunswick, Canada. It is the only remaining covered bridge in Northumberland County, New Brunswick....
, the oldest covered bridge in the province.