History of Tracadie, New Brunswick, Canada

1785 - Tracadie
Located 3.91 km NNE of Sheila: Saumarez Parish, Gloucester County: William Francis Ganong identified the Mi'kmaq name for Tracadie as Tulakadik or "camping ground": settled in 1785 by the Acadians and later by the Scottish.
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1785 - First settlers arrive
Michel Bastarache and his son-in-law Joseph Saulnier came from Memramcook in 1785 to settle in the Tracadie region. This permanent settlement which was established in the area where the Saulnier Est and the Saulnier Ouest Streets area are today marks the beginning of the French colonization of our town.
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Read more about Michel BASTARACHE dit BASQUE

1786 - First English settlers arrive in Tracadie
The first English settlers came a little later after the French settlers around 1786, William and Thomas Ferguson, two Scotchman, and Charles McLaughlin, an Irishman, all settled in Tracadie permanently.
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Read more about William FERGUSON

Around 1805, William Ferguson and, in 1850, James Young opened fish plants. Their main activities were fishing and fish processing. The herring fishery was the most lucrative one.

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1815 - Leprosy, so far as is known, appeared for the first time in Canada at Tracadie in the Province of New Brunswick

Four centuries of medical history in Canada Volume 1 By John Joseph Heagerty · 1928

Read more about Ursule LANDRY

1823 - First church in Tracadie
The first wooden church of Tracadie was finished in 1823 under the responsibility of father Thomas Cook. Pierre Gingras of Quebec was the carpenter responsible for the construction. The blessing of the new church took place on June 22th, 1823.
www.virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/histoires_de_chez_nous-community_memories/pm_v2.php?id=story_lin

Ursule and Leprosy
"One sultry August afternoon in the year 1828 the Rev. Mr. de Bellefeuille, a missionary priest visiting Tracadie, was called upon to bury a woman named Ursule Landry who died of a mysteious and loathsome disease to which none could qive a name. Her flesh had become hard and scaly; hideous swellings distorted her face and form; spots of a brownish tint appeared upon her limb...

Pauvre Ursule! There are some in Tracadie who hate that woman, who say she brought a curse on all of us. But I don't blame her for 'La maladie' any more than I would blame the weather or the food that ue ate... though there are those who believe the climate, cold and damp, brought it to our shores or that it is caused by the salted fish.

I was a girl of fifteen when Ursule died; so I knew her, a small woman with rounded shoulders who used two walking sticks to stand. Her face was hidden under a veil qnd she always wore a bonnet.

For the last year of the disease, she stayed in her cabin with only her... Read MORE...


Read more about Ursule LANDRY

1842 - Église de Saint-Joseph et Saint-Jean-Baptiste established in Tracadie
Father François Xavier S. Lafrance was the first resident pastor of Tracadie (1842)
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www.gcatholic.org

1844 - Leprosy
Leprosy is a disease which touched people of different nationalities all around the world. A lot of these people were treated and taken care of at the lazaret in Tracadie.

Leprosy first appeared in the Maritimes in the early 1840s when several French-speaking Acadians contracted the disease.

In 1844, a Lazaret was build on Sheldrake Island in the Bay of Miramichi. The arrival of Reverend La France in 1842 completely changed the situation. Thanks to him, the first Lazaret was built in 1849 and until 1965, all the Canadian lepers and many from different countries around the world were treated here in Tracadie.

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1844 - A NEW DISEASE
The Miramichi (N.B.) Gleaner gives account of a loathsome disease, resembling leprosy, which had broken out in Neguac, Tracadie, and Tabisintac. The Legislature appropriated 500 pounds for the purpose of making an attempt to arrest its progress.
The Sun
Baltimore, Maryland
April 16, 1844

1849 - Leprosy institution moved to Tracadie
In 1849 the institution was relocated in the coastal village of Tracadie, allegedly the epicentre of the disease, and thirty-one people were transferred there.

The people at Tracadie were taken care of by volunteer nuns. There were 218 at Tracadie throughout its existence.

The instituation closed in 1965, following the death of its last patient.
leprosyhistory.org

1857 - DISASTERS TO FISHERMEN
A disastrous gale, attneded with loss of life, occurred on the north shore of the Provincd of St. John, on the 22d ult. The Miramichi Gleaner says: -

"This morning we learn from a person who has just arrived from Tracadie, that twnety-nine dead bodies have been picked up on the beach. Another report has just reached us that sixty boats are supposed to be lost, owned by parties living between Neguac and Tracadie, and fifty-one dead bodies hae been picked up between these two places. It is calculated that two hundred boats were out fishing, and many more disasters, it is feared, have occurred.

"The master of a coaster arrived this morning from Shediac, informs us that he put into Egmont Bay, P.E. Island, during the storm, and he counted 130 American fishing craft that had run in for shelter. He states that there was great destruction among the fishing boats, a number having floated ashore."
Boston Investigator
Boston, Massachusetts
August 12, 1857

In 1866 Tracadie was a farming, lumbering and fishing community with approximately 120 resident families.

archives.gnb.ca

1871 - Tracadie
In 1871 Tracadie had a population of 1,200: in 1898 it was a station on the Caraquet and Gulf Shore Railway and had 1 post office, 5 stores, 2 hotels, 1 grist mill, 2 sawmills, 2 churches and a population of about 1,400: included Brideau Settlement, Dignard, and Basque.
archives.gnb.ca

1872 - LEPROSY - A Hundred Years of Plague in a Seaside Town
[St Johns, New Brunswick, Letter to the New York Sun.]

Will Americans believe that leprosy, "the eldest daughter of Death," exists on this continent? Though I had seen something to that effect in the Appleton's Cyclopaedia, I for one did not believe it before I heard of Tracadie.

This is a small village on the marshy fringe of Gloucester county, New Brunswick, about twenty-five miles south of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Landward, the eye rests on a dreary, monotonous level, dotted here and there by wretched fisherman's hovels. Seaward, the low line of the horizon is broken by no sail, and silence broods over the gloomy spread of waters. Tracadie is of French origin, having been settled by Basque colonists soon after the peace of Utrecht, early in the eighteenth century. It was poor and miserable enough from the first, but God's chosen curse fell upon it toward 1760, when a vessel from the Levant was wrecked on its shores, and bales of old clothes, teeming with plague germs, were... Read MORE...

1873
TRACADIE, a post village and settlement in Gloucester co., N.B., on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 50 miles from Chatham. It has a telegraph office, a hospital for lepers, and 3 stores. The inhabitants are chiefly engaged in the fishery. Pop. 1,200.
Lovell's gazetteer of British North America; J. Lovell; Montreal, 1873

1874 - Tracadie's second church, parish of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Joseph
Father Ferdinand Gauvreau made the request for the construction of a new stone church in its current location to the bishop of Chatham, Mgr. James Rogers in 1871, but it was realized by father J. A. Babineau. Construction began in 1874 and ended in 1899. The church's plans were drawn by architect Mathew Stead.
www.virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/histoires_de_chez_nous-community_memories/pm_v2.php?id=story_lin

In 1877, there were only six businesses in the Tracadie area: two general stores, a tavern, a saw mill, a fish market and wood trade.
At the time, these businesses met the immediate needs of the local population. At the turn of the century, there was a small economic boom due to the demand for wood and this, along with the rise of the population, paved the way for other new businesses in Tracadie.
tracadienb.ca

1888 - Leprosy in the province of New Brunswick is diminishing, according to the report of the officials in charge of the larzaretto at Tracadie.
There are now in the hospital eight men and nine wome, whereas the original number of inmates was 40. Three patients died last yearand one leper escaped to this country, doubless communicating the taint to those with whom he came in contact.
Springfield Republican
Springfield, Massachusetts
June 5, 1888

1891 - LEPROSY DISAPPEARING. The Awful Disease Being Slowly But Surely Eradicated in New Brunswick.
OTTAWA, April 7. - The report of Dr. Smith, physician to the Tracadie lazaretto, shows that leprosy with which a few settlements of fishermen in New Brunswick has been afflicted for the past half centrury is being slowly but surely eradicated. The policy of segregation, which has now been pursued systematically under the supervision of the government for a number of years, has resulted in a lessening of the cases. At Tracadie, the original center of the disease, the cases seem to have been almost extirpated, and Dr. Smith expresses the belief that eventually the malady will disappear from all the communities where it has been the terror of the people. There are at present in the lazaretto eight males and ten females. Four new patients were admitted during the years, all from Caraquet, in Gloucester county, N.B. There were five deaths. The inexpressibly sad side of the matter is a paragraph in the report where Dr. Smith related that a girl at Tracadie is suspected of being infected... Read MORE...

1897 - LEPERS ON A TRAIN. Three Icelanders Sent to Be Immured in a Lazaretto for Life.
Three lepers, natives of Iceland, have arrived at the lazaretto, at Tracadie, Gloucester County, New Brunswick. The lepers were brought from Winnipeg, Manitoba, in a freight car, which was directly behind the locomotive and was placarded to warn the public to keep away from it.

The victims came into Canada through the port of Halifax or St. John, after having crossed the ocean in the steerage of a steamship. They were half way across the continent before the nature of their disease was suspected.

They were isolated at Winnipeg, where Dr. Smith, of the Tracadie (New Brunswick) lazaretto, who was sent by the Government to examine them, pronounced it leprosy, and the three afflicted persons, one of whom is a woman, were ordered to be immured in the lazaretto for the rest of their lives.
The Abbeville Press and Banner
Abbeville, South Carolina
May 19, 1897

In 1899, Tracadie created its first telephone company under the name of Tracadie Telephone Company Ltd

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1904 - Train Derailment
... Yesterday while running into Tracadie, the cars of the Caraquet railway train left the track, but no damage was done. The delay was only temporary and the train arrived here about 9.30 p. m. Trains on this road are running very regularly. There is an immense traffic in lumber and fish during the summer to say nothing of the regular freight for points all along the road. Nearly all the supplies for the fish factories which are scattered all along and around the coast are brought by rail. Grindstones from the quarries at Grand Anse, Stonehaven and Clifton are now transported to the States chiefly by rail, also. The passenger traffic is also very good and the officials are reliable as well as genial and painstaking. It is said that new passenger cars will be put on next spring. This is a move in the right direction, as they are badly needed.
St. John Daily Sun
St. John, N. B.
December 2, 1904

1905 - Big Loss By Fire
St. John, N. B., Oct 10. - News of the burning of the big lumber mills and other property of the Tracadie Lumber company, at Tracadie, N. B., reached here Monday. The mill buildings, a hotel, manager's residence and a number of small structures were destroyed, as well as a large quantity of manufactured lumber. The loss is placed at about $120,000, and is said to be covered by insurance.

Daily News-Democrat
Huntington, Indiana
October 10, 1905

1906
Tracadie, a post-village and outport of Gloucester co., New Brunswick, on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 50 miles from Chatham.
Lippincott's New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns ... in Every Portion of the Globe Publisher J.B. Lippincott Company, 1906

1913 - Nursed Lepers: Friends Shun Her
Chicago, Nov. 6. - Failing in her effort to win for herself a desirable place, socially and industrially in the "world of the living," Miss Marie Colliers, formerly the nurse to lepers at the colony at Tracadie, New Brunswick, has decided to sacrifice the remainder of her life - she is only 25 - to the work of caring for the "living dead." Miss Colliers, miraculously it seems, is not contaminated by the slightest trace of the dread lepers disease. Physicians state this to be a fact. Yet, her old friends and new acquaintances shun her becaus of the fact that she has nursed these most accursed of human beings. "They are polite, my friends," says Miss Colliers, "but they always edge away from me. So I am going back to the lepers, who are not afraid of me."
State Times Advocate
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
November 6, 1913

1917 - Record Moose Head
The record moose head taken in the province of New Brunswick was taken a few days ago near Bathurst Lake by L.A. Russell of Tracadie, Gloucester county, word to that effect being brought to Fredericton by Charles Cremin, the guide near whose camp the animal was killed. The spread of horns is 72 inches, beting the widest spread previously recorded by 3 1/ 2 inches. Dr. W. L. Munro of Providence, R.I., held the record for getting the largest spread of horns in New Brunswick until the kill of Mr. Russell. The spread was 68 1/ 2 inches.
Daily Kennebec Journal
Augusta, Maine
October 27, 1917

1925 - Church destroyed in Tracadie
Fire destroyed the parish of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Joseph church in Tracadie on November 8, 1925.
virtualmuseum.ca

1926 - The construction of the 3rd stone church with two steeples began in May 1926 when father J. M. Lavasseur was the parish pastor.
Its plans were drawn by architect René A. Rochet of Montreal.

Christmas mass was celebrated in the new church, still in construction, as early as December, 1927. Still under the patronage of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Joseph, the church was consecrated in autumn of 1949 when father Joseph A. Trudel was pastor.
www.virtualmuseum.ca/sgc-cms/histoires_de_chez_nous-community_memories/pm_v2.php?id=story_lin

In 1937, electricity reached Tracadie from Chatam

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1947 - The first newspaper "The Tracadie News" was founded in 1947. It was a bilingual newspaper that was published on Saturdays. It was published for about a year.

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1949 - $200,000 Damage When Fire Sweeps New Brunswick Town
TRACADIE, NB. Oct. 31 - (CP) - Damage was estimated up to $200,000 last night after an early morning fire destroyed four buildings at Tracadie, facing the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the northeastern coast of New Brunswick.

Most of the loss was caused by destruction of a building containing the Capital Theatre, a large department store of the Tracadie Mercantile Company Limited, and an upstairs apartment occupied by the family of the theatre manager, Joseph McCalvy.

The other destroyed structures, all close together on the main street of this village, were a warehouse used by the Coughlin House Hotel, and two barns, containing hay and farm equipment, owned by John Coughlin.

The hotel, Theodule Robiancha's store on the opposite side of the street, property owned by Mrs. Albert Arseneau and a house owned by Leon Poirier were badly scorched.

Absence of wind and quick response by the Shippegan Fire Departement, 22 miles away, prevented greater loss. Help also came from the Chatham ... Read MORE...

1958 - Santa Answers Appeal of Girl
TAMPA, Fla., Dec 20. (AP) - Note to Viola S. McGraw of Tracadie, New Brunswick, Canada: A Christmas package containing a doll, pajamas, socks, pencils, crayons and coloring books is on its way from Tampa.

Mrs Ida Hernandez fixed up the package after finding a note tied to the Christmas tree she purchased. Viola wrote:

"I am a very poor little girl 6 years old. Will you pleas send me some pencils for Christmas."
Spokane Daily Chronicle
Spokane, Washington
December 20, 1958

Tracadie was incorporated as a town in 1966, and in 1992 it joined with Sheila to form Tracadie-Sheila.

archives.gnb.ca

In 1969, the newspaper "Reflet du Nord" was founded and it lasted until February 1971. It resurfaced on June 23 of the same year under the new name l'Analyste. The newspaper shut down on September 12, 1972.

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Tracadie-Sheila
Tracadie-Sheila, NB, incorporated as a town in 1992, population 4933 (2011c), 4479 (2006c). The Town of Tracadie-Sheila is situated on the Gulf of ST LAWRENCE, 83 km southeast of BATHURST. Incorporated first as the town of Tracadie in 1966, it amalgamated with the village of Sheila in 1992. Known by the Micmac as Telakadik, meaning "camp ground," the area was used by them for temporary camping while fishing the Little and Big Tracadie rivers. There is evidence of native occupation here around 1000 years ago.

The location was first settled in 1784 by ACADIANS who had either avoided the deportation or who had since returned, followed shortly thereafter by English-speaking settlers. In 1849 the provincial government established a lazaretto (hospital for contagious disease, in this case leprosy) at Tracadie, the first such institution in Canada. The lazaretto is now a museum. During the 19th century, economic activity in the area centered primarily on the wood industry. Both the Big... Read MORE...

Here's a list of places to check out and things to do in and around Tracadie:
Tracadie River

Take a leisurely stroll along the Tracadie River. It's a serene spot, perfect for a peaceful afternoon.

Tracadie-Sheila Marina

If you're into boating or just enjoy the waterfront, the marina is a great place to visit. You can watch the boats go by or even take a boat tour if available.

Val-Comeau Beach

Head to Val-Comeau Beach for a day of sun and sand. It's a beautiful spot to relax, have a picnic, or take a refreshing dip in the water.

Historical Museum of Tracadie

Learn about the town's rich history at the Historical Museum of Tracadie. It's a fascinating journey through the past, with exhibits and artifacts that tell the story of the community.

Sentier Nepisiguit Mi'gmaq Trail

If you're up for a bit of hiking, the Sentier Nepisiguit Mi'gmaq Trail offers a chance to explore the natural beauty of the area. It's a great way to connect with nature.

Local Markets

Check out the local markets for a taste of Tracadie's culinary scene. You... Read MORE...