A Brief History of Elgin

Elgin is a small community in New Brunswick, Canada. It is located just north of Fundy National Park and between the city of Moncton and the town of Sussex (see map below).

The first settler in Elgin was John Geldart in 1811, followed by Robert Smith and Frank Gray the next year. Traveling by canoe up the Pollett River from Salisbury, they reported seeing tribes of Natives camped along the river banks. In 1825 Robert Colpitts settled in the area and learned the craft of maple sugar-making from the Natives. That first year he made 6200 pounds of the sweet treat. [From “The Busy East” by Nettie Colpitts 1924]

Although very few residents today bear the surnames of these pioneers, their explorations into the wilderness were not in vain. Elgin’s history reads like a heritage minute on Canadian television: The pioneers’ stories were true, and the livelihoods they wrested from the land were not for the faint of heart. Through the years, Elgin residents have banded together during hardships and trying times. They’ve worked together to achieve community goals.

There were various goods and services offered here over the years . . . Consider that at one time or another, Elgin had a horse race track; a grist and lumber mill; a wheelwright shop for making wooden wheels, spokes and barrels; a tannery; blacksmith; hotels, various and sundry stores, churches, bootleggers, post office, train station; and a boardwalk to ease pedestrian traffic flow! Many people traveled to Elgin from outlying areas for the expertise and goods that were only available here.

Life has simplified in Elgin over the past 50+ years. The railroad is gone, and now there is only one general store, the Elgin Country Market. Local businesses are few, but the basic services of a post office and volunteer fire department remain. Elgin is still famous for its maple syrup production, and its commercial blueberry fields. Today, Elgin is a quiet community of just under 1000 people. Now visitors to Elgin arrive for the breathtaking hilltop vistas, and the chance to savour life in the countryside. It isn’t difficult to understand why John Geldart, Robert Smith and Frank Gray decided to settle here.

How to get here

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From Highway #1, take exit # 233 at Petitcodiac onto route 905 toward Elgin. Follow this provincial highway for approximately 15 min (20km), and it will turn into route 895, two kilometers before entering the 4-corners at the centre of Elgin.