Page 4 Saint John is the leading city in the province of New
Brunswick. Located on the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River, it
is well known for its excellent harbour. This harbour has made Saint John one
of the foremost winter ports in Canada.
The Saint John River follows an ‘S' pattern between rocky
hills to the Bay. About a mile before it reaches the bay, the river passes
through a narrow gorge only a few hundred feet wide. This gorge forms the
Reversing Falls which are rapids that actually flow upstream at high tide.
Reversing Falls is now a major tourist attraction in Saint John.
Until well into the nineteenth century the only means of
transportation for coastal areas such as Saint John were by water. Roads were
poor and used very little. In 1816, steamboats began a regular service between
Saint John and Fredericton, the capital of New Brunswick.
These steamboats began to service villages along the river as
population grew. To dock in Saint John, the vessels had to pass through
Reversing Falls. At Reversing Falls, the river flows out to sea at low tide
creating currents insurmountable and at high tide the inward flow of water is
almost as strong. Only short periods of slack time each day allowed vessels to
pass through. To keep a regular schedule, the steamboats had to dock at
Indiantown, well above the falls.
As time went on there was a need for transportation
between the wharf and the city centre which were one and three-quarter miles
apart. At first, stage coaches were used. As settlement grew and the region
between Saint John and Indiantown became the Town of Portland, privately owned
omnibusses began running on irregular schedules. The need for a more improved
service became apparent, and as a result, in time, would be the first Street
Railway in the Province of New Brunswick.
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Brunswick Community College - Saint John.