History of Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada

Bathurst, NB, incorporated as a city in 1966... The City of Bathurst is the administrative centre of Gloucester County. It is located on Bathurst Harbour at the mouth of the Nepisiguit River in northern New Brunswick. Founded by Nicolas Denys in 1652, the site was abandoned after his death in 1688. The next settlers were dispossessed Acadians (1757) and English traders, including George Walker, who arrived in 1768. His fortification battery was raided and destroyed by American privateers circa 1778. First called Nipisiguit, then St Peters, it was renamed Bathurst in 1826 after the colonial secretary, Henry Bathurst, 3rd earl of Bathurst.

Lumbering, shipbuilding (begun here in the 1820s) and sawmills first dominated the economy. Bathurst Iron Mines was also in operation from 1907 to 1913. A pulp mill opened in 1914; it was expanded to make paper in 1923 and underwent major renovations in 1983 and 1988. The mill closed in 2005. The discovery of sizable base metal deposits in 1953 in the surrounding region spurred the city's development. The Brunswick Mine began production in 1965 and is owned by Noranda Inc.

The community is primarily English- and French- speaking.