History of Industries in Dalhousie:

Dalhousie was made the shiretown of the Restigouche in 1837 and began to grow rapidly as a shipping port of lumber. When the plot of the land in Dalhousie was laid out in 1826, many people secured lots and began to build then in 1827 three or four vessels arrived to load timber. Thus the main industry of the 19^th Century was lumbering and, in 1831, 52 ships carrying lumber and fish were exported from the Dalhousie Port overseas to British Markets.

When the Intercolonial Railway came to Restigouche County in 1875, Dalhousie became a major tourist attraction and visitors from across Canada came to stay at "Inch Arran House". When the hotel took fire in 1921, tourism decreased as the industries of pulp and paper prospered.

Dalhousie’s industry continued to grow in the early 20^th Century with the construction of lumber mills, in particular the George Moffatt Shingle mill, Dalhousie Lumber Company Mill, Restigouche WoodWorking Factory and the PQ Lumber Company Mill. In 1928, the shingle mill and Dalhousie Lumber Company were demolished and construction of a new paper mill began. In 1930, the New Brunswick International Paper Company (NBIP) opened and was the largest in the Maritimes and one of the largest in the world. The Charlo Dam was then constucted for the purpose of supplying the mill with water. The NBIP mill became the region’s largest employer, with well over 1000 on staff. During the 1980’s the mill was turning out 4% of all newsprint produced in the country.

The town’s first efforts in producing electricity began in 1913, when a small power plant was built on Adelaide Street. The plant operated only at night, serving about 25 customers and producing around 60 kilowatts.

Dalhousie attracted other industries over the years, most notably the NB Power Thermal Generating Station. The decision was made in 1966 to build a 25 million dollar, 500,000 kilowatt thermal power plant in Dalhousie that would employ over 300 people. Operations began in 1968. A second unit was later added, and just recently the plant was converted to burn Orimulsion, a new bituminous fuel imported from Venezuela.

Canadian Industries LTD (CIL) came to Dalhousie in 1963, establishing a Chlor-alki plant to produce caustic soda and hydrochloric acid for the pulp and paper industry. In 1971, the plant expanded and, in 1992, the firm constructed a new plant which produces sodium chlorate, a more environmentally friendly bleach in paper production. Along the way, the operation’s name changed to ICI Forest Products, a division of ICI Canada then, in 1997 to Pioneer.

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Fish Hatcheries

From very early on, the government has taken great precautions to preserve salmon. In certain places reserved for breeding, salmon were caught and kept in a pond in Tide Head. The pond in Tide Head was eventually abandoned and replaced by a pond in New Mills. The pond in New Mill’s was constructed of logs in courses and saddled together.

The fish Hatchery of the Restigouche was built above Seaside; this being the second built in the Dominion. Later, it burnt and was rebuilt in Flatlands.

Today, Dalhousie is returning to its past and building on the tourism industry. The Bowater mill continues to play an important role in the economy of Dalhousie and of the entire region. The NB Power Station has taken major steps over the years to meet international standards in environmental management systems.

With these and other operations in place, Dalhousie remains an important part of New Brunswick's industrial community.

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