During what could be called New Brunswick’s Early Modern coal mining period (about 1755 to 1892), most of the Grand Lake coal was produced by Underground Mining. During the Pioneer period (about 1609 to 1755), the French pioneers in Acadia during the 1600s and the English settlers who replaced them in the 1760s were lucky to have access to surface deposits of Grand Lake coal that could be mined using man and horse power. Coal was a valuable and rare product that provided consistent heat for long winter nights and it could be traded for profit. The pioneers could dig all they needed to supply the forts and settlers, and have extra to sell. As the population increased and the coal near the surface was used up, the digging got more complicated.
For Underground Mining, most mine shafts were dug vertically down to the coal seam, then tunnels, called Levels, were dug horizontally beside the coal seam. Bye Levels were dug at right angles to the Main Level and individual Miners dug into the face of the Bye Levels. Some Slopes (tunnels) were dug into the side of hills or riverbanks. Miners cut trees to make timbers to support the roof and walls of the mine shaft and levels. They dug the coal using picks and shovels. Later, blasting powder was used to loosen the coal from the mine face. The coal was moved by hand to the Main Level and shovelled into wheeled coal boxes. A Wheeler, often a younger, in-experienced miner, would push the box back to the shaft over wooden planks laid on the ground. The carts usually carried 300 to 500 pounds of coal.
Bigger companies, with long Levels, used small scale rail lines instead of wooden planks for their coal boxes. Early miners and the coal they dug were raised up the shafts by ropes attached to horses on the surface. Steam Powered equipment was used after 1892. Larger Shaft Houses were built for the power and hoisting equipment, and to load the coal into vehicles or railroad cars.
The English began to take control of New France in 1654 by capturing Charles LaTour, the Acadian Leader, and his 3 forts on the Bay of Fundy. Even as a prisoner, LaTour never stopped fighting to grow a strong colony. By 1656, he had used his political connections to convince the English to grant Acadia to him and his English partners, Temple and Alexander. LaTour died in 1667 after almost 50 years of protecting the colony and culture in Acadia. The areas he settled for France never grew as quickly as expected, but his leadership and determination made him a legendary figure in Canadian history. LaTour’s influence continued to be felt in New Brunswick during the 1960’s and in 2016.
Control of Acadia changed between France and England several times until England conquered Quebec and Montreal in 1760 and finally occupied all of New France. The development of Nova Scotia (which at that time had included the modern Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island) by the English was slow until the 1760s when Loyalists from New England began settling in NS. The British Government, concerned with the growing strength of the Thirteen Colonies before and during the American Revolution, began to encourage settlement of their new colonies by offering former soldiers and others free land grants, and assistance to move to the colony. In 1761, based on a scouting party recommendation, a few hundred settlers from the Boston area chose the Maugerville-Jemseg areas of the Saint John River valley for the colony’s first inland settlement. This land was on the main river, close by water or land, to Grand Lake, which was the only known source of coal in America. They moved onto their new land in 1762, except for a few who remained in the settlement at the mouth of the river. Between 1776 and 1784, over 11,000 United Empire Loyalists moved to the Saint John River valley. The leaders of the new settlements wanted more assistance from the Halifax-based Governor and when it was not provided, they began to demand provincial status. In 1784, the Provinces of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island were created as individual provinces.
The British officials in Halifax did not appear to consider Grand Lake coal to be a major asset, but the settlers from New England definitely knew about and benefitted from the coal. New Brunswick historian Esther Clark Wright explained in The Loyalists of New Brunswick how the Grand Lake area was developed later than other areas along the Saint John river because of significant deforestation from a big fire around the lake. The settlers needed lumber for building homes and to sell during their first few years, so many of the soldiers who received land grants on Grand Lake in 1783 moved to the Niagara area of Ontario where land grants were also available. Some of Grand Lake’s settlers were part of a group of 11,000 Irish and Scottish immigrants who came to Canada between 1819 and 1826. At that time, there was a big demand for lumber in Europe, and lumbering and ship building businesses developed quickly and became the main industry around Grand Lake. Coal mining became an important industry as the population increased and new technology became available.
Coal production increased quickly after 1892 when steam powered engines began to be used in the Grand Lake area. NB Coal Ltd has estimated that 200,000 tons of coal were mined at Grand Lake in the 248 years between 1639 and 1887. By 1920, Grand Lake coal production often surpassed 200,000 tons per year. Annual coal production reached 1,000,000 tons in 1960.
When Canada was created as a country in 1867, the accomplishments of both French and English settlers were considered equally important in the creation of the country, and therefore all Canadians were given the right to use English or French in Parliament and in the courts. In 1969, Canada and New Brunswick expanded this right by passing Official Language Acts and becoming officially bilingual. During the 1600s, Charles LaTour had 3 wives and 9 children. Many of his descendants still live in New Brunswick and some also fight to protect their culture and language. LaTour descendants are found in many modern New Brunswick families, including the d’Entremont, Girourd, Melanson and Poirier families.
Next, the growth, decline and benefits of the New Brunswick coal mining industry.
[All photos courtesy of the Minto Museum and Information Centre, Minto, NB]
