St. Martins Walking Tour

St. Martins is a small village on the Fundy coast of New Brunswick. It has a long history of human occupation, with the Wolastoquey (Maliseet) and Mi’gmag peoples using this part of the shore as a transportation route and seasonal hunting camp. European settlement began in the late 18th century and, over the next hundred years, this group of immigrants established the village as a major producer of wooden sailing ships. By the mid-19th century, ships launched on the St. Martins beach sailed to ports around the world and local shipowners had international mercantile business interests. The coming of steam-powered ships spelled the end of the village economy and by the early 20th century, residents relied on seasonal tourism as well as logging and fishing. The early 21st century saw a renewed interest in eco-tourism and, with the development of Fundy National Park and a proposed shoreline parkway, St. Martins was poised to become the western gateway to a large tourism region. Carl Bray was retained by the village to assess its cultural heritage resources as a first step in developing a cultural tourism plan. His work involved preparing an inventory and evaluation of cultural heritage resources, conducting archival research, site visits, alongside interviews with local residents, the local museum staff, and representatives of Indigenous groups. With the assistance of Cambridge Pen & Design, he prepared an illustrated, self-guided walking tour of the village. Following review by the local project steering committee, the final version was printed for mass distribution.