Edmundston - History

History

During the early colonial period, the area was an important meeting place and hunting/fishing spot of the Maliseet (Wolastoqiyik) nation. A considerable sized village was located there around the turn of the 19th century. Formerly, the settlement was located around the falls at the confluence of the Madawaska-St. John Rivers; currently there is a federal reserve a few kilometres from Edmundston (St. Basile 10/Madawaska Maliseet First Nation). Originally named Petit-Sault (Little Falls) in reference to the waterfalls located where the Madawaska River merges into the Saint John River, the settlement was renamed Edmundston in 1851 after Sir Edmund Walker Head, who was Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick from 1848 to 1854 and Governor-General of Canada from 1854 to 1861. Originally a small logging settlement, Edmundston's growth is mostly attributed to the city's strategic location.

The area was at the centre of the Aroostook War over the boundary line between the U.S.A. and what was then British North America. In the wake of this international conflict, a small fortification (Fortin du Petit-Sault) was built in anticipation of a possible attack by the Americans. It was because of the boundary disputes in this area that the francophone Brayon residents on both the Canadian and American sides took to referring to the region as the Republic of Madawaska. The tradition is carried on to this day, with each mayor of Edmundston being given the title of "President of the Republic of Madawaska". In 1998, Edmundston, Saint-Basile, Saint-Jacques and Verret merged to form the City of Edmundston.