Edmundston
Edmundston is a major hub for regional business and services. It is the most densely populated city in the area. When the land was first being settled, Edmundston was called Petit-Sault. At one time, the P’tit-Sault blockhouse, located at the junction of the Saint John and Madawaska rivers, protected the territory from its enemies.
The city was named after a former governor of New Brunswick, Sir Edmund Walker Head, who visited the Madawaska in 1856. Before the arrival of the first colonists, the Indians called this place "Madoueskak", which means “the place of the porcupines”.
The logging industry played a major role in Edmundston’s economic development. In 1917, the Fraser company built a pulp mill, then in 1925, a paper mill in Madawaska, a sister city on the American side of the border in Maine. Huge pipelines link these two border communities, conveying enormous volumes of steam and pulp over a distance of 2 km.
Start your visit at the Madawaska Museum, exit 18, at Hébert boulevard. You will be delighted by the art works exhibited at the Galerie Colline, and by the permanent exhibit of ancient objects depicting the history of the Madawaska. Only a few steps away, you can go shopping, eat out in our excellent restaurants or make use of the facilities in the Regional Sports Complex, where you can enjoy a swim in a semi-olympic pool or a good tennis game on the indoor courts.
If you look around, you will be able to see the buildings that make up the Edmundston campus of the University of Moncton only a short distance away .
Obviously, any stay in Edmundston must include a trip to our picturesque downtown area. Historical information posts have been set up from place to place where you will find triangular display stands with information plaques relating the history of the foundation and evolution of the city.
The city offers a wide choice of areas where you can relax and enjoy the fresh air: City Hall Square, the promenade Emmerson, the pedestrian bridge, Place de l'Artisan, as well as the Fraser Marina and all the rest areas.
At the City Hall on Canada Road, you can come and admire the astounding historical fresco entitled “Life in Madawaska 1785-1985” by internationally renowned artist Claude Picard. This work commemorates the bicentennial of the arrival of the first colonists in this region. Just outside, magnificent wood sculptures by artist Albert Deveau pay tribute to the different nationalities which came together to build the Madawaska.
The new look of the downtown quarter is also enhanced by a vast project to revitalize the tourist potential of the Madawaska River. 130 km of biking/walking trails belonging to the Petit-Témis Interprovincial Linear Park now link Edmundston to Rivière-du-Loup, in Québec.
As you follow the winding trail along an abandoned railway track, every turn reveals new and wonderful panoramas. The bike path begins at the Fraser Marina on Victoria Street.
Edmundston became an episcopal city on December 16th, 1944. In order to acknowledge the uniqueness of the people of Madawaska and address the pastoral needs of its population, Pope Pius XII created the Catholic diocese of Edmundston and designated the church in the Parish of l’Immaculée-Conception to be the bishop’s cathedral in this new diocese. http://www.diocese-edmundston.ca/
While you are downtown, take time out to visit the majestic Immaculée-Conception Cathedral on de l'Église Street and admire its gothic and roman-style architecture. .
On the opposite bank of the Madawaska River you will see Notre-Dame des Douleurs, a church housing a series of wonderful wooden carvings depicting the stations of the cross by artist Claude Roussel. You may also wish to stop at the old Anglican church on de l'Église Street, which was built in 1873 and has now been officially declared a historic site. On Canada Road, you will also find a very interesting Presbyterian church dating from 1891.
Year round, Edmundston is abuzz with a variety of exciting activities. In the summer, the very popular Foire Brayonne; in the fall, the Craft Fair; in winter, skiing and snowmobiling; in spring, the Salon du Livre (Book Fair), the Jazz and Blues Festival and the Salon de la Forêt (Forestry Show).
There is a magnificent 18-hole golf course right in the centre of town, famous all over the Maritimes for the excellence of its greens and its links. Edmundston is home to the Atlantic Centre of Excellence in Tourism, the only French-language establishment of its kind on the Atlantic coast. From January to May, it is possible to reserve a table and enjoy a truly delightful gastronomic experience.
