Our History

In 1783, fifteen thousand Loyalists arrived in what is now New Brunswick. It wasn’t until the following year that the area was established as a separate colony from Nova Scotia, and another year passed before the first election took place. The promised land grants for the Loyalists were delayed, leading to considerable frustration and unrest, especially in Saint John.

Many newcomers would have preferred to settle along the Saint John river, but intense competition for these areas led them to seek alternative settlements; over time more settlers arrived and established themselves along the extensive branches of the Oromocto, Rusagonis, and Waasis rivers.