Saint Croix, New Brunswick
Encyclopedia
St. Croix is a Canadian
rural community in York County
, New Brunswick
.
The community derives its name from the St. Croix River
which flows along its western boundary; this river also forms the International Boundary between Canada and the United States
and the community is opposite Vanceboro
, Maine
to the west.
St. Croix is located 8 kilometres west of the village of McAdam
. The western terminus of Highway 4
is at the border on the Saint Croix-Vanceboro Bridge
over the St. Croix River, where it connects with the eastern terminus of Highway 6
in Maine. The New Brunswick Southern Railway
crosses the river using the Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge
.
The Canada Border Services Agency
maintains a customs station in St. Croix immediately east of the bridge.
(Western Extension) which was constructing a line from Saint John
to Vanceboro. At Vanceboro, a sister company's line had opened through to Bangor
in 1869. An iron railway bridge
on stone piers was constructed over the St. Croix, measuring approximately 30 metres (100 feet) in length. The opening ceremony in 1871 of the railway line between the two countries was attended by Governor General of Canada
Lord Lisgar
and President of the United States
Ulysses S. Grant
.
During the 1870s, financial difficulties saw the line from Saint John to St. Croix sold to the New Brunswick Railway
(NBR). At the same time, the Maine Central Railroad
leased the E&NA from Vanceboro to Bangor; it would purchase the line in the 1950s. In 1889 the Canadian Pacific Railway
(CPR) purchased the NBR and constructed the International Railway of Maine to connect Montreal
to the ice free winter port of Saint John, leasing trackage rights over the section owned by the Maine Central between Vanceboro and Mattawamkeag
. In 1974, CP Rail purchased this section, completing its ownership of a transcontinental railway from the shores of the Atlantic to the Pacific.
St. Croix had a customs facility operated by the Government of Canada to inspect trains entering New Brunswick as well as a small passenger station, however the opening of the major station in McAdam would soon see the majority of residents using that facility, leaving St. Croix as a "run through" point.
CPR passenger services operated daily through the community from 1889 until they passed to Via Rail Canada in 1978; its primary train The Atlantic Limited was renamed to the Atlantic at that time. Under Via, the Atlantic operated until it was discontinued in 1981 only to be resurrected in 1985. The train would pass through St. Croix daily until it was cut back to 3 days per week in 1990 and then permanently discontinued in 1994.
In 1988, CP Rail placed all of its lines east of Montreal, including the mainline through St. Croix and Vanceboro under a separate business unit called Canadian Atlantic Railway
. The line was sold in 1995 to J.D. Irving Limited and it is operated by subsidiary New Brunswick Southern Railway
.
, the CPR line became infamous for being the sabotage target of a German
Army officer. The United States was still a neutral country at that point and CPR was not permitted to transport war material and troops across US soil on the way to Saint John (most war goods were transported in Canada on the government-owned Intercolonial Railway using an all-Canadian routing instead). However Imperial Germany was convinced that CPR's route across Maine was being used for the war effort and sought to destroy the Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge
crossing the St. Croix River between Vanceboro and St. Croix. The officer travelled to Vanceboro and stayed in the local hotel, then laid explosives which detonated but did not damage the bridge. He was arrested and then jailed by the US and then Canada.
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...
rural community in York County
York County, New Brunswick
York County is located in west-central New Brunswick, Canada. The county contains the provincial capital, Fredericton. Outside the city, farming and forestry are two major industries in the county, which is bisected by the Saint John River...
, 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...
.
The community derives its name from the St. Croix River
St. Croix River (Maine-New Brunswick)
The St. Croix River is a river in northeastern North America, in length, that forms part of the Canada – United States border between Maine and New Brunswick . The river rises in the Chiputneticook Lakes and flows south and southeast, between Calais and St. Stephen...
which flows along its western boundary; this river also forms the International Boundary between Canada and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the community is opposite Vanceboro
Vanceboro, Maine
Vanceboro is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States. The town was named after landowner William Vance. The town is located at the eastern terminus of Maine State Route 6. Vanceboro is across the St. Croix River from St. Croix, New Brunswick, Canada, to which it is connected by the Saint...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
to the west.
St. Croix is located 8 kilometres west of the village of McAdam
McAdam, New Brunswick
McAdam is a village located in the southwestern corner of York County, New Brunswick, Canada. The village covers and has a population of 1,404 as of 2006.The area was first settled in the mid-to-late 19th century as a group of small lumber camps...
. The western terminus of Highway 4
New Brunswick Route 4
Route 4 is a long provincial highway located enirely in York County, New Brunswick, Canada. The highway begins on the Saint Croix – Vanceboro Bridge between the cities of Vanceboro, Maine and Saint Croix, and travels east to an interchange with Route 3 in Thomaston Corner.-Route description:Route...
is at the border on the Saint Croix-Vanceboro Bridge
Saint Croix-Vanceboro Bridge
The Saint Croix – Vanceboro Bridge is an international bridge, which connects the communities of Saint Croix, New Brunswick in Canada and Vanceboro, Maine in the United States, across the St. Croix River...
over the St. Croix River, where it connects with the eastern terminus of Highway 6
Maine State Route 6
State Route 6 is part of Maine's system of numbered state highways, running from the Quebec border in Sandy Bay Township, to the New Brunswick border in Vanceboro. Route 6 is long and is the only highway in the state to both begin and end at the Canadian border.Most of Route 6 runs concurrently...
in Maine. The New Brunswick Southern Railway
New Brunswick Southern Railway
The New Brunswick Southern Railway and Eastern Maine Railway form a 189-mile railway system operating a former Canadian Pacific Railway mainline between Saint John, New Brunswick and Brownville Junction, Maine....
crosses the river using the Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge
Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge
The Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge is a long railway bridge crossing the St. Croix River from St. Croix, New Brunswick, Canada to Vanceboro, Maine, United States. A deck truss design, it is owned and operated by the New Brunswick Southern Railway....
.
The Canada Border Services Agency
Canada Border Services Agency
The Canada Border Services Agency is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border enforcement, immigration enforcement and customs services....
maintains a customs station in St. Croix immediately east of the bridge.
Railway history
During the 1800s, St. Croix developed as an isolated lumbering settlement, however in the 1860s the community was selected for the crossing point for the European & North American RailwayEuropean and North American Railway
The European and North American Railway is the name for three historic Canadian and American railways which were built in New Brunswick and Maine....
(Western Extension) which was constructing a line from Saint John
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
to Vanceboro. At Vanceboro, a sister company's line had opened through to Bangor
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
in 1869. An iron railway bridge
Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge
The Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge is a long railway bridge crossing the St. Croix River from St. Croix, New Brunswick, Canada to Vanceboro, Maine, United States. A deck truss design, it is owned and operated by the New Brunswick Southern Railway....
on stone piers was constructed over the St. Croix, measuring approximately 30 metres (100 feet) in length. The opening ceremony in 1871 of the railway line between the two countries was attended by Governor General of Canada
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
Lord Lisgar
John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar
John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar, Bt, GCB, GCMG, PC was the second Governor General of Canada, in office from 1869 to 1872.-Biography:...
and President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
.
During the 1870s, financial difficulties saw the line from Saint John to St. Croix sold to the New Brunswick Railway
New Brunswick Railway
The New Brunswick Railway was a historic Canadian railway operating in western New Brunswick. Its headquarters were in Woodstock.The original NBR lines were built to the narrow gauge of...
(NBR). At the same time, the Maine Central Railroad
Maine Central Railroad
The Maine Central Railroad Company was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated a mainline between South Portland, Maine, east to the Canada-U.S...
leased the E&NA from Vanceboro to Bangor; it would purchase the line in the 1950s. In 1889 the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
(CPR) purchased the NBR and constructed the International Railway of Maine to connect 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...
to the ice free winter port of Saint John, leasing trackage rights over the section owned by the Maine Central between Vanceboro and Mattawamkeag
Mattawamkeag, Maine
Mattawamkeag is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States located where the Mattawamkeag River joins the Penobscot River. The population was 825 at the 2000 census.-Railroad history:Mattawamkeag's history is inextricably linked to the railroad....
. In 1974, CP Rail purchased this section, completing its ownership of a transcontinental railway from the shores of the Atlantic to the Pacific.
St. Croix had a customs facility operated by the Government of Canada to inspect trains entering New Brunswick as well as a small passenger station, however the opening of the major station in McAdam would soon see the majority of residents using that facility, leaving St. Croix as a "run through" point.
CPR passenger services operated daily through the community from 1889 until they passed to Via Rail Canada in 1978; its primary train The Atlantic Limited was renamed to the Atlantic at that time. Under Via, the Atlantic operated until it was discontinued in 1981 only to be resurrected in 1985. The train would pass through St. Croix daily until it was cut back to 3 days per week in 1990 and then permanently discontinued in 1994.
In 1988, CP Rail placed all of its lines east of Montreal, including the mainline through St. Croix and Vanceboro under a separate business unit called Canadian Atlantic Railway
Canadian Atlantic Railway
The Canadian Atlantic Railway is a historic Canadian and U.S. railway that existed from 1988 to 1994.The CAR was created in September 1988 as a business unit of CP Rail System to serve the Maritime Provinces and state of Maine...
. The line was sold in 1995 to J.D. Irving Limited and it is operated by subsidiary New Brunswick Southern Railway
New Brunswick Southern Railway
The New Brunswick Southern Railway and Eastern Maine Railway form a 189-mile railway system operating a former Canadian Pacific Railway mainline between Saint John, New Brunswick and Brownville Junction, Maine....
.
1915 sabotage attempt
During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the CPR line became infamous for being the sabotage target of a German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
Army officer. The United States was still a neutral country at that point and CPR was not permitted to transport war material and troops across US soil on the way to Saint John (most war goods were transported in Canada on the government-owned Intercolonial Railway using an all-Canadian routing instead). However Imperial Germany was convinced that CPR's route across Maine was being used for the war effort and sought to destroy the Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge
Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge
The Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge is a long railway bridge crossing the St. Croix River from St. Croix, New Brunswick, Canada to Vanceboro, Maine, United States. A deck truss design, it is owned and operated by the New Brunswick Southern Railway....
crossing the St. Croix River between Vanceboro and St. Croix. The officer travelled to Vanceboro and stayed in the local hotel, then laid explosives which detonated but did not damage the bridge. He was arrested and then jailed by the US and then Canada.