Minto, New Brunswick
Encyclopedia
Minto is a Canadian
village straddling the border of Sunbury County
and Queens County
, New Brunswick
. Located on the north shore of Grand Lake
, approximately 50 kilometres northeast of Fredericton
, its population meets the requirements for "town" status under the Municipalities Act of the Province of New Brunswick, however the community has not made any change in municipal status.
Minto was originally named Northfield but it is known to have taken its present name in 1904 upon the retirement of Canada's eighth Governor General
, The Earl of Minto
. However, the village was known as Minto since 1902, and the story remains that the village adopted its name from the local Minto Hotel. From the St. John Daily Sun of 1903:
, Minto was profiting from a coal mining boom. The coal brought a level of financial prosperity to the community in the early 1900's, which by the late 1930's turned into a profitable venture for companies, and brought starvation and disease to a then impoverished community. As stated in the Untied Mine Workers' Journal of 1937, "Nowhere on the American continent, is there a strife which combines the elements of greed, harshness, cold, suffering, and want, as exists [in Minto]."
Early in Minto's coal mining exploits, land owners were permitted to mine under their own land without obtaining a license from the Crown or paying any royalties, which ended in 1915. During the boom, both mining conditions and the living quarters of miners families degraded with lowering wages and lack of maintenance in the mines and homes supplied to the miners families. Although a tally of the number of deaths related to the coal mining industry in Minto is not available, deaths did occur.
The need of transporting coal brought the railway to Minto, and was to make the area "the most prosperous place in Canada." The New Brunswick Central railway ended at Chipman
(about 15 miles (24.1 km) north-east of Minto) and in 1901 the railway was planned to be completed by constructing through the village to Fredericton, and connect with the Canadian Pacific railway. By 1904 the railway was completed as far as Minto, merging with the existing Central, however by 1905 completion to Fredericton was abandoned and the remaining railway was not built until 1913.
Although the railway lines through Minto have since been completely removed, the railway station continues on as a local museum. By the end of 2010, coal mining in Minto ended when the last coal mining company, NB Coal, closed.
During the early years of the Great Depression
, the New Brunswick Power Corporation
built the province's first thermal generating station south of the village on the shores of Grand Lake. Opened in 1931, the Grand Lake Generating Station accessed coal from nearby deposits. An NB Power subsidiary, NB Coal, was the only mining company left in the Minto area and performed strip mining. NB Power closed the Grand Lake Station when its operating license expired in June 2010. As the Station has been NB Coal’s only customer since 2000, NB Coal closed in December 2009.
During the Second World War, the largest internment camp in eastern Canada was located in the hamlet of Ripples
, 10 km west of the village; in addition to German POWs, its most notable prisoner was the anti-conscription
ist mayor of Montreal
, Camillien Houde
.
This internment camp is now a protected site and is visited by tourists. The only structure remaining at the site is the base of a water-tower where a plaque stands, however there is a small museum dedicated to the camp located within Minto's municipal building.
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 straddling the border of Sunbury County
Sunbury County, New Brunswick
Sunbury County is located in central New Brunswick, Canada. A large military base is located in the western part of the county south of the town of Oromocto...
and Queens County
Queens County, New Brunswick
Queens County is located in central New Brunswick, Canada.-Geography:The county's geography is dominated by the Saint John River and Grand Lake. Coal mining is a major industry in the Minto area. Forestry and mixed farming dominate the rest of the county...
, 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...
. Located on the north shore of Grand Lake
Grand Lake (New Brunswick)
Grand Lake is a lake in central New Brunswick, Canada, approximately 40 kilometres east of Fredericton; and the province's largest freshwater lake...
, approximately 50 kilometres northeast of Fredericton
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Fredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by virtue of the provincial parliament which sits there. An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art...
, its population meets the requirements for "town" status under the Municipalities Act of the Province of New Brunswick, however the community has not made any change in municipal status.
Minto was originally named Northfield but it is known to have taken its present name in 1904 upon the retirement of Canada's eighth Governor General
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
, The Earl of Minto
Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto
Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto was a British nobleman and politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the eighth since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy and Governor-General of India, the country's 17th.-Early life and career:Minto was born in London, the...
. However, the village was known as Minto since 1902, and the story remains that the village adopted its name from the local Minto Hotel. From the St. John Daily Sun of 1903:
"Just how the name of Minto came to be adopted is said to have occurred in this way. A letter which was sent from Moncton to Mr. Kennedy was enclosed in an envelope which bore the name of the Minto hotel, Moncton. The family thought Minto a good name for their hotel, and so it was named. Then the people generally adopted the name for the place, and so the railway people designated it."
History
Minto did not feel the depression, or at least did not feel it in the same way as most other places in Canada; during recession and the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Minto was profiting from a coal mining boom. The coal brought a level of financial prosperity to the community in the early 1900's, which by the late 1930's turned into a profitable venture for companies, and brought starvation and disease to a then impoverished community. As stated in the Untied Mine Workers' Journal of 1937, "Nowhere on the American continent, is there a strife which combines the elements of greed, harshness, cold, suffering, and want, as exists [in Minto]."
Early in Minto's coal mining exploits, land owners were permitted to mine under their own land without obtaining a license from the Crown or paying any royalties, which ended in 1915. During the boom, both mining conditions and the living quarters of miners families degraded with lowering wages and lack of maintenance in the mines and homes supplied to the miners families. Although a tally of the number of deaths related to the coal mining industry in Minto is not available, deaths did occur.
The need of transporting coal brought the railway to Minto, and was to make the area "the most prosperous place in Canada." The New Brunswick Central railway ended at Chipman
Chipman, New Brunswick
Chipman is a Canadian village in Queens County, New Brunswick.The village of Chipman is located on the banks of the Salmon River at the head of the Grand Lake, the largest freshwater lake in the Maritime provinces...
(about 15 miles (24.1 km) north-east of Minto) and in 1901 the railway was planned to be completed by constructing through the village to Fredericton, and connect with the Canadian Pacific railway. By 1904 the railway was completed as far as Minto, merging with the existing Central, however by 1905 completion to Fredericton was abandoned and the remaining railway was not built until 1913.
Although the railway lines through Minto have since been completely removed, the railway station continues on as a local museum. By the end of 2010, coal mining in Minto ended when the last coal mining company, NB Coal, closed.
During the early years of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the New Brunswick Power Corporation
NB Power
NB Power , formerly known as New Brunswick Power Corporation and New Brunswick Electric Power Commission is the primary and former monopoly electrical utility in the Canadian province of New Brunswick...
built the province's first thermal generating station south of the village on the shores of Grand Lake. Opened in 1931, the Grand Lake Generating Station accessed coal from nearby deposits. An NB Power subsidiary, NB Coal, was the only mining company left in the Minto area and performed strip mining. NB Power closed the Grand Lake Station when its operating license expired in June 2010. As the Station has been NB Coal’s only customer since 2000, NB Coal closed in December 2009.
During the Second World War, the largest internment camp in eastern Canada was located in the hamlet of Ripples
Ripples, New Brunswick
Ripples is a community in the Canadian province of New Brunswick near the village of Minto. It also housed a World War Two internment camp, from 1942-1945. This camp held internees of many different nationalities. The most famous prisoner was Camillien Houde, mayor of Montreal at the time, who was...
, 10 km west of the village; in addition to German POWs, its most notable prisoner was the anti-conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
ist mayor of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Camillien Houde
Camillien Houde
Camillien Houde was a Quebec politician, a Member of Parliament, and a four-time mayor of Montreal.-Political career:...
.
This internment camp is now a protected site and is visited by tourists. The only structure remaining at the site is the base of a water-tower where a plaque stands, however there is a small museum dedicated to the camp located within Minto's municipal building.