Fredericton - geography.

« VI HISTORY The indigenous people known as the Maliseet used the site of Fredericton as a campsite and burial ground before Europeans discovered the area.

In the 17th century theybecame partners with the French in the fur trade.

Pierre de Joibert, a Frenchman, received several land grants along the St.

John River in 1676, but the first importantsettlement in the area was not completed until 1692.

Joseph Robineau de Villebon and other settlers built Fort St.

Joseph, also known as Fort Nashwaak, at the mouth ofNashwaak River in 1692.

They abandoned the fort about 1700.

In the 1730s the French settled Saint Anne’s Point, but it too was abandoned.

British settlement wastemporarily discouraged by the Maliseet in a show of force at Saint Anne’s Point in 1762.

However, the Maliseet were eventually overwhelmed. The British won control of the area in 1755, and following the American Revolution (1775-1783), about 14,000 people left the 13 colonies and came to the part of NovaScotia north of the Bay of Fundy.

A year later this became the separate colony of New Brunswick.

Many of these refugees, known as Loyalists, had fought on the British sideduring the Revolution.

In 1785 a group of Loyalists laid out the community of Fredericton and named it after Frederick Augustus, a son of King George III of England.

Thatsame year, Fredericton became the capital of New Brunswick.

In 1786 an elected assembly first met in the city, along with the General Sessions of the Peace (a meeting ofappointed justices of the peace who handled local judicial and political matters).

In later years, land was set aside for the establishment of schools, churches, King’s College,and military bases.

Fredericton was incorporated as a city in 1848. As a provincial center for government, forestry, military activities, and agriculture, Fredericton grew from 4400 residents in 1848 to 7117 by 1901.

Telegraph lines wereestablished in 1851, telephones in 1888, and radio broadcasts in 1923.

Early newspapers included the New Brunswick Reporter (1844-1902) and the Maritime Farmer (1879-1905).

After 1850 Fredericton flourished as an industrial town.

Sawmills, shipyards, tanneries, boot and shoe factories, carriage shops, iron foundries, brickyards,and factories turned out a variety of products.

Railroad connections were established between Fredericton and several other cities.

A few brands, such as Hartt’s boots andshoes and Chestnut canoes, became nationally known and remained competitive well into the 20th century.

These manufacturers, and a cotton mill built in Marysville in1885, were encouraged by the federal government’s support of New Brunswick industry through protective tariffs (fees imposed on imported goods). In the 20th century, the government and the university have become important to Fredericton’s economy.

In efforts to overcome regional disparity, New Brunswickcentralized municipal services under provincial departments during the 1960s.

As the capital, Fredericton benefited from an increase in the number of provincial civilservants.

Health and educational services also grew to serve a larger region. Contributed By:Ernest R.

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