MC300-MS8 York-Sunbury Historical Society Collection
Description (page 123)

If you are interested in any of these files then please contact the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick.

“Stephen Glasier was the son of Lieutenant Benjamin Glasier and Mary (nee Baskey), Loyalists who came to New Brunswick in 1782 and settled at Lincoln in Sunbury County.  Stephen and his brothers, John and Duncan, were instrumental in establishing the lumbering business on the St. John River.  Stephen Glasier died on May 2, 1861, and is buried in the family cemetery in Sunbury County.

Additional Glasier documents are in MC30 and MC38.  This series contains only four items but they all refer to the development of the lumber trade on the River.”

1 Certificate for the erection of a boom at the Shore Ferry signed by Stephen Glasier as agent for the Fredericton Boom Company; 1844.

2 Accounts of Stephen Glasier, Commissioner for improving River Navigation, for the Bear Island Bar Improvement; 1861.

3 Documents relating to the construction of the Grand Falls Bridge; 1855, 1860.

4 Benjamin Glasier, early settler of Central New Brunswick; by Lillian M. Maxwell, LL. D.

MC300-MS6 York-Sunbury Historical Society Collection
Description (page 116)

If you are interested in any of these files then please contact the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick.

“Richard Bellamy was born in 1827 in London, England, the son of George and Nancy Bellamy. He immigrated to New Brunswick at the age of nine with the “Blue Coat Emigrants”.

Bellamy settled in Stanley, York County, where he was involved in business and surveying. Later he moved to Nackawic where he owned and operated a large farm. He served one term on the Municipal Council Board. He was first elected to the New Brunswick Assembly as a Liberal member for York County in 1886. He was re-elected in 1890, but when the election was protested, he resigned and did not run again. In 1891, he took a seat on the Legislative Council of New Brunswick and sat until the dissolution of that body in April, 1892. Bellamy never married, and died at Nackawic in November, 1892.

The bulk of the Bellamy Papers, which date from 1854 to 1895, is comprised of correspondence concerning such topics as land surveying; lumbering; agriculture; roadbuilding; and various aspects of New Brunswick politics. In addition to the correspondence, there are also legal documents, warrants, receipts, and other miscellaneous items. This series measures 3 centimeters.”

1 Letter from Alexander MacPherson to Richard Bellamy discussing his [Macpherson] brother’s illness, and the Riviere de Loupe Railway; Fredericton, August 27, 1871.

2 Letter from Z. Chipman to Richard Bellamy concerning lumber cutting and prices; St. Stephen, October 11, 1871.

3 Letter from A.B. Smith to Richard Bellamy describing his situation in California; San Francisco, November 16, 1872.

4 Letter from A.B. Smith to Richard Bellamy bearing news and urging him to “come out”; San Francisco, April 21, 1873.

5 Letter from J.E. Strong to Richard Bellamy offering Bellamy  distributorship in a “gate” business; Yorkville, Ont., December 20, 1876.

6 Letter from Edward Jack, Crown Land Office, to Richard Bellamy giving Bellamy a statement of stumpage collected on lumber cut on Crown lands in 1875, 1876 and 1877; Fredericton, June 13, 1878.

7 Letter from W.P. Flewelling, Crown Land Office, to Richard Bellamy asking for a list of things a new settler needs to take to the woods with him; Fredericton, March 10, 1879.

8 Letter from Beckwith & Seely to Richard Bellamy, Peter Wood, and George S. Peters, York County Valuators, on behalf of the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Land Company (Ltd.) appealing the assessment on its land; Fredericton, August 22, 1879.

9 Letter from Charles W. Beckwith of Beckwith and Seely to Richard Bellamy concerning the assessment mentioned in 6/8 above; Fredericton, August 25, 1879.

10 Letter from John Pickard to Richard Bellamy concerning lumbering operations and the present political situation; Ottawa, March 24, 1882.

11 Letter from Richard Bellamy to John J. Fraser concerning a note of David S. Gibson; Lower Southampton, April 15, 1882.

12 Letter from W.T. Whitehead, agent for the New Brunswick Land and Lumber Company Ltd., to Richard Bellamy concerning the seeding of newly cleared settlement land; Gibson, April 15, 1882.

13 Letter from John Pickard to Richard Bellamy discussing the political situation confronting the Liberal Party; Ottawa, May 4, 1882.

14 Letter from Musgrove & Lean to Richard Bellamy seeking to buy potatoes; Fredericton, May 12, 1882.

15 Letter from John Pickard to Richard Bellamy discussing the mood of the Liberals as they prepare for the election; Fredericton, May 25, 1882.

16 Letter from W.P. Flewelling to Richard Bellamy concerning a possible loan; Fredericton, August 9, 1882.

17 Letter from Thomas Loggie, Crown Land Office, to Richard Bellamy concerning the sale of the Islands in Skiff Lake; Fredericton, October 3, 1882.

18 Note from Isaac Saunders and H.A. Davidson to Richard Bellamy regarding lumber; Dumfries, December 16, 1882.

19 Letter from Richard Bellamy to John Pickard concerning mail in Carleton County and the appointment of Fraser to the Bench; Lower Southampton, January 12, 1883.

20 Letter from John Hartley to Richard Bellamy asking for money on mortgage; Southampton, January 12, 1883.

21 Letter from Wetmore & Winslow, barristers, to Richard Bellamy concerning property sales; Fredericton, January 31, 1883.

22 Letter from John Pickard to Richard Bellamy commenting on the Liberals position in the House of Commons; Ottawa, February 17, 1883.

23 Letter from E. Byron Winslow to Richard Bellamy discussing the political situation with respect to the Board of Works; Fredericton, March 10, 1883.

24 Letter from Richard Bellamy to C.F. Todd concerning cattle; Lower Southampton, March 25, 1883.

25 Letter from Richard Bellamy to Edward Jack stating the need for the better management of Crown lands; Lower Southampton, March 26, 1883.

26 Letter from Richard Bellamy to Andrew Blair suggesting changes in the Crown Land Department; Lower Southampton, April 26, 1883.

27 Letter from Andrew Blair to Richard Bellamy discussing the political situation in the House of Assembly; Fredericton, April 27, 1883.

28 Letter from John James Fraser to Richard Bellamy requesting information on lumber; Fredericton, May 16, 1883.

29 Letter from Andrew Blair to Richard Bellamy concerning hemlock bark; Fredericton, May 21, 1883.

30 Letter from John James Fraser to Richard Bellamy regarding Northampton land; Fredericton, May 21, 1883.

31 Letter from Andrew Blair to Richard Bellamy arranging a meeting with the Provincial Secretary, the Surveyor-General, Bellamy and himself; Fredericton, May 28, 1883.

32 Letter from Andrew Blair to Richard Bellamy concerning land; Fredericton, July 8, 1883.

33 Letter from W.P. Flewelling to Richard Bellamy asking him to endorse a note; Fredericton, September 15, 1883.

34 Letter from James Mitchell to Richard Bellamy asking for a survey at Tilley Settlement; St. Stephen, September 12, 1884.

35 Letter from Edward Jack to Richard Bellamy discussing the success and problems in attracting Scottish emigrants; Edinburgh, October 8, 1884.

36 Letter from Richard Bellamy to Alexander Munro ordering him to give up the property belonging to W.L. Stewart; Lower Southampton, January 19, 1885.

37 Letter from Wetmore & Winslow to Richard Bellamy regarding the Kinney land purchase; February 16, 1885.

38 Letter from Andrew Blair to Richard Bellamy suggesting Mr. Lawson as a candidate; Fredericton, April 21, 1885.

39 Letter from G.W. Vanwart to Richard Bellamy discussing railroad business; Woodstock, February 23, 1886.

40 Letter from George F.A. Jamieson to Richard Bellamy concerning road construction; Canterbury Station, July 22, 1886.

41 Letter from Alex Irvine Karney to Richard Bellamy bearing congratulations; Saint John, March 5, 1887.

42 Letter from Alex Irvine Karney to Richard Bellamy commending Bellamy on his political success and describing his own situation with a wholesale tea house; Saint John, March 7, 1887.

43 Letter from George Ingraham to Richard Bellamy discussing the failure of the Maritime Bank and other political matters; Southampton, March 16, 1887.

44 Letter from Elias W. Henry to Richard Bellamy commenting on McAdam Junction and the need of a road to it from Upper Magaguadavic; Upper Magaguadavic, March 17, 1887.

45 Letter from H.G. Cawley to Richard Bellamy requesting appointment as Justice of the Peace for York County; Temperance Vale, March 22, 1887.

46 Letter from Richard Bellamy to H.G. Cawley acknowledging his request; Fredericton, March 28, 1887.

47 Letter from Richard Bellamy to William Whitehead regarding a petition from Dumfries residents to have non-resident land-owners pay taxes to the Parish; Fredericton, April 2, 1887.

48 Letter from A.P. Miller to Richard Bellamy requesting the settlement of an account with the estate of A.A. Miller; Fredericton, April 4, 1887.

49 Letter from William Wilson to Richard Bellamy describing the movement of the ice in the St. John River at Fredericton, April 27, 1887.

50 Letter from Lewis Munn to Richard Bellamy arranging a meeting; Saint John, April 27, 1888.

51 Letter from Lewis Munn to Richard Bellamy arranging a meeting; Saint John, April 20, 1888.

52 Letter from Lewis Munn to Richard Bellamy for the Northern Assurance Company discussing the possible closure of a mill; Saint John, April 26, 1888.

53 Letter from Andrew Blair to Richard Bellamy arranging a meeting at Fredericton Junction over some unstated crisis mentioning Wilson and John Anderson; Fredericton, May 28, 1890.

54 Letter from Andrew Blair to Richard Bellamy discussing a decision made by Judge Palmer, the fact that subpoenas have been served on Mr. Barry and Mr. Anderson, and describing a political meeting in Stanley mentioning “Gregory”; Fredericton, September 17, 1890.

55 Letter from Andrew Blair to Richard Bellamy telling Bellamy that “as long as there is a determination to go on with the trial that we might as well resign now…” and asking him to come down if he concurs; Fredericton, September 26, 1890.

56 Letter from Andrew Blair to Richard Bellamy discussing political organization and their pecuniary contribution to the cause; Fredericton, February 27, 1891.

57 Letter from W.T. Whitehead to Richard Bellamy concerning cattle business; Fredericton, May 31, 1891.

58 Letter from James McDonald to Richard Bellamy bearing local news mentioning Elisia Maston’s Burial; Southampton, March 25, 1892.

59 Letter from Havelock Coy to Jacob Allen instructing him on the serving of subpoenas mentioning George McDonald, James McDonald, and H.B. Rainsford; Fredericton, June 13, 1895.

60 Seven legal documents (three insurance policies, one lease, one certificate of indebtedness, a statement of the property of the N.B. & N.S. Land Company, and a subpoena to Richard Bellamy); 1854-1884.

61 Twenty warrants of Survey from the Surveyor-General to Richard Bellamy as Deputy-Surveyor; 1879-1882.

62 Specifications for three bridges (Brockway, Tripp Settlement, and Temperance Vale); 1884-1887.

63 Appropriations listed for York County bye-roads; 1882 and 1886.

64 Receipts issued by and to Richard Bellamy (for monies paid for the New Denmark survey, for passage on Steamer “Florenceville”, and for general merchandise); 1878-1888.

65 Fifteen miscellaneous items including calling cards, published speech of Sir Charles Tupper, “Memorandum for the Agents of the Candidate”, steamboats’ statement of earnings, etc.; 1879-1887.

66 Letter from Andrew Blair to Richard Bellamy discussing the increase in stumpage and political organization; Fredericton, May 10, 1883.

Conservation groups weigh in on the St. John River dams. This discussion is long overdue.

The World Wildlife Fund has released a report on the state of rivers in Canada in which it raises the obvious question about the St. John River that no one seems to want to talk about. The report finds that “dams and impoundments
have so severely disturbed the river – the longest in Atlantic Canada – that its once thriving Atlantic salmon population is now endangered.”

“Three major hydropower dams on the mainstem of the Saint John – the Grand Falls, Beechwood, and Maqtaquac dams – have significantly altered its natural flow regime. . . . Salmon in the Saint John are particularly threatened. In parts of the river the number of adult fish needed to maintain a viable, self-
sustaining population is well below minimum requirements. Currently, no plan exists to manage or restore environmental flows in the Saint John. Until one is established, the health of the river, its important habitats, and its salmon populations are likely to continue to decline. Restoration of environmental flows in the Saint John and the salmon that depend on them will require a coordinated, basin-wide plan to re-establish a more natural flow regime that better balances nature’s water needs with those of hydropower generation and other uses.”

The current trap and truck process to move fish past the Mactaquac dam, combined with the hatchery at the base of the dam has been an abject failure. The decline of the St. John River salmon has spread to the tributaries of the river, including the Tobique, the Nashwaak, the Kennebecasis, all of which were once productive salmon rivers. Governments have a responsibility to address how their dams have destroyed the fish populations in the river.

By contrast, in Maine, where dam removal and fish passage has become a government priority, salmon are beginning to show signs of recovery with 2,000 salmon returning to the Penobscot this season, a miraculous increase from the handful that had been returning in recent years.

Meanwhile, governments and conservations groups in Canada spend their time discussing side issues such as salmon mortality at sea, and the impacts of fish farming, and ignoring the obvious barriers to recovery right in front of our eyes. The two great salmon rivers in New Brunswick, the Miramichi and Restigouche, are both sustaining relatively healthy salmon populations. Why the great difference? Neither the Restigouche or the Miramichi have been dammed. We forget that among New Brunswick salmon rivers, the St. John, with its tributary the Tobique, was the greatest salmon river of them all.

It’s time we pulled our heads out of the sand and started talking about the environmental disaster that these dams have created and begin searching for real solutions.

While browsing through the May “How to be a Man” edition of Esquire, I stumbled on a list of 31 things a man should own and, for the most part, know how to use. Some years ago in a long lost column in the now defunct New Brunswick Reader magazine I mocked a Men’s Journal must have list of manly things, most of which I didn’t have or want. In my column, I made my own list. The new Esquire list is interesting to me because I own 24 of the 31 items, and have once owned another 4 of them (some like the chain saw I still regret selling in a fit of house cleaning one spring after I moved to the city). I’m not sure what this says about me. I’d add three things to the list: an instrument (if it is a guitar, the best you can afford), a canoe, and a fly rod. You may have some other suggestions. More on the “How to Be a Man” question in coming days…

We’re late posting this, but we were out listening to excellent bebop jazz at the Grill on York with Silvio Pupo and Joel LeBlanc.

The prediction is that we will be at about 7-metres in Fredericton through the weekend (flood stage is 6.5). According to River Watch, there is more water coming early in the week. With slightly cooler temperatures forecast for the weekend, which may slow down the snow melt, we may get through this one yet. For those who say things like “this is just a normal spring freshet,” the water has only reached this height five times in the past four decades. So it’s more than a little unusual, and worth keeping an eye on. The real fun begins next week.

The group that is protesting the closure of Mactaquac Park in winter marched on the provincial Legislature yesterday in Fredericton.

The protesters, including our friend Jennifer Beckley, met with Tourism Minister Stuart Jamieson yesterday in front of the Legislature. We were there to hear the minster say that he is willing to plow the entrance to the park and work with community groups who might operate some of the facilities there, such as the lodge. This is a concession, a small one, and it seems to me our friends are winning.

UPDATE:

The following flood warning is issued by River Watch 2009 and the Department of Public Safety’s New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization (NB-EMO) on Thursday, April 23, 2009:

Lower St. John River basin: Fredericton, Maugerville and Jemseg

The latest from River Watch is online. Read it and be safe. 7-metres in Fredericton Friday (6.5 metres is flood stage), with more water coming as the snow melts through the weekend.

I just listened to EMO officer Karl Wilmot on CBC Radio in Fredericton. To say he is concerned about what is happening in the St. John River watershed is an understatement. In particular he is concerned about the water that will be dumped into the system when temperatures reach into the high 20s on the weekend. The analogy is this: The bathtub is full, or close to full, and we are about to turn the taps on full. And he points out that this bathtub has a narrow drain in Saint John, that only opens twice a day at the Reversing Falls. CBC has created a Flood 2009 website. The EMO River Watch site is here. Developing…

After a day of staring at the numbers and trying to interpret the carefully worded releases from EMO in New Brunswick, I am preparing for a flood. It may not be the flood of 2008 all over again, but we are going to experience some flooding. EMO predicts the river will rise above flood level Friday at 6.6 metres in Fredericton. We can deal with that level. What concerns us is the discharge rates upriver. For example, the Grand Falls discharge is expected to increase from 65,000 cubic feet per second on Thursday to 112,000 on Friday. I have no idea how to do the math, but this tells us that there is water coming. Plus, the weekend forecast is calling for unusually high temperatures that will cause the snow in the woods to melt and run off into the river, sending us more water. Study the numbers here. And my best advice is to do what you can to get ready. I bought a backup pump today. And we are calling an emergency meeting of the Winslow Street Supper Club, which will plan flood week menus and wine selections.

It’s raining, hard. Snow is melting. My house is in a low lying area in the St. John River valley. Now the real flood watch begins in New Brunswick. It’s too soon to really worry, but not to soon to start preparing. This is the latest from the New Brunswick government. More information is available on the River Watch website.

The following water level advisory is issued by River Watch 2009 and the Department of Public Safety’s New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization (NB-EMO) on Tuesday, April 21, 2009:

Residents are advised to know the risks, make a plan, and prepare an emergency kit. Prepare now to help your family be safe.

The St. John River is rising in Fredericton and may be near flood stage by the end of the week. This is a photo of an ice jam somewhere miles upriver near Hartland that was posted today on the excellent River Watch website that we are checking regularly now. Last year we started taking in water the first week in May. It seems that this year the flood waters are early, and obviously there is a lot more water coming our way. Developing…

WATCH

Welcome to the second video edition of Doing Stuff Outdoors. On today’s show we’re going to the second annual Reverse Freestyle Kayak and BoaterX competition held at the world famous Reversing Falls in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. This event brings together the top freestyle, whitewater paddlers from the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario and Maine.

The BoaterX competition sees kayakers racing through the rapids around a course at low tide. The Freestyle event has paddlers doing flips and cartwheels on the huge standing waves created by the incredible tides of the Bay of Fundy, (the highest in the world) combining with the powerful flow of the mighty St. John River. At high tide the water through these rapids actually reverses and flows upstream. Many locals still consider it suicidal going anywhere near these waters at low or high tide.

We’re going to get in on the action by talking to some of the paddlers who will explain what it’s really like being in these raging waters with whirlpools large enough and powerful enough to pull a boat underwater and hold it there. We’ll meet long time paddlers like Harold Cox, the manager of the Canadian Freestyle Kayaking Team. We’ll find out why these kayakers have such a passion for extreme white water.

For more on the Reversing Falls and kayaking in Atlantic Canada check out Atlantic Kayaker. Podsafe music by AjT.
Email your comments to doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

In this edition of Doing Stuff Outdoors we’re going sailing….or at least we’ll talk to a man who lives and breathes the sea. It took him three years but he built his own day-sailor out of wood following traditional boat building plans.  We’ll talk about the joy you get from sailing in a wooden boat that you built yourself.

And we all have visions of the mighty Nile River.  Thanks to our friends at the Outdoors Station we’ll hear about a tour operator who organizes amazing kayaking expeditions along the Nile.

Also today… more of your comments including a look at a new product that allows you to create your own 3D trail maps of routes in the Canadian Rockies.  And we’ll talk a little about getting outdoors with kids.  Plus more podsafe music from Great Big Sea.

Call in your comments, suggestions and outdoor adventures to the comments line at 206-600-4557. Email Gary at doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca and subscribe to DSO in iTunes.
Next week we’ll take you paragliding in the mountains…..

(This summer the town where I live in New Brunswick opened a new waterfront facility designed to encourage tourism. There’s a brand new building complete with meeting rooms, washrooms and a full kitchen. It will be used for meetings and receptions and a place for people to go. It has a spectacular view down the St. John river. The grounds include pathways along the waters edge and there is also a new boat launch, floating wharf and plenty of parking. It’s an important step for a community that until now had no focal point on the water. This column was published in the local newspaper.)

The biggest outdoor event to happen in Grand Bay-Westfield in a long time occurred this summer with the opening of the new River Centre at Brundage Point. It’s a fabulous and welcome addition to the community. Although the St. John River flows right through our town, until now we didn’t have a focal point on the waterfront. The new building and beautifully landscaped grounds, the boat launch and floating docks now provide that focus. It’s an anchor for the entire community that ties us now more than ever to the river. Our connection with the river goes back to the days when native people fished these waters and mills dotted the shoreline. The river was a means of transportation and riverboats would steam past on their way up and down the St. John. And of course the community really took shape when people from the city of Saint John came by boat and train to spend their summers on the water.

The river has always been accessible but there has never been a central place to go. Now there is and it’s bound to have a positive impact. Most communities built on and around water have some kind of main access area. Sometimes it’s the town wharf or a public beach and park. We have plenty of beach front in Grand Bay-Westfield but most of it is privately owned. We’ve always had Westfield Beach and now the new facility beside it really makes it an attractive package. Many hope this will encourage the development of tourism in the area and I’m sure it will help. But more importantly, I think it’s a place for people who live and work here to use and enjoy. I hope we take advantage of it. I know I will. But then Westfield Beach has always been one of my favorite places to put in my kayak.

The town organized a weekend long celebration for the River Center, complete with canoe races, entertainment, a dance and fireworks. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend many of the opening events, although I’ve followed the progress of the centre all through the summer. I got my real first experience of the fully completed facility a week after the official opening. I drove to the ferry landing to launch my kayak and took time to check out the new building and grounds. I played the part of a tourist visiting the area for the first time. I tried to put myself in their shoes to get a sense of the kind of first impression the new centre will make.

The place looks really good. Sitting as it does overlooking the river, the building has that inviting feel to it saying to all, come in and see what I’m all about and what I have to offer. The interior looks as good as the outside. But it’s a little smaller inside than I expected. One of the students working at the centre told me he hears that from a lot of local people seeing the building for the first time. I think it should have been larger. While I was there the place wasn’t that busy but there appeared to be a fairly steady flow of traffic in and out of the building. There were a number of boat trailers in the parking lot so it’s obvious the boat launch was being well used. I met a couple of people there launching their home-made wooden sailboats and had a nice chat with them. I returned again the next day and there were even more people at the centre, including some kayakers. It’s obvious the place is already a hit.

Eventually it would be great to see the River Centre connected by a trail system along the water front. Extending the existing walking trail to the ferry would be a good start. From there the trail could continue on to the Nerepis River and along the old rail line all the way upriver. Opening up a trail network like that would really be good for business at the River Centre. Add to it some boat rentals and kayak or sailing lessons and maybe a larger vessel to take people for a cruise on the river and you have an attraction that will bring out local people and tourists alike. It becomes a meeting place and destination. It gives people, especially local residents a place to go. They can come by trail, either walking or biking or by car or boat. It’ll encourage people to get outdoors. And in my book that makes it a winner.

The Bay of Fundy is home to the highest tides in the world, although that claim has been debated recently. Another bay high in the arctic is also laying claim to the title but either way these tides are immense. One hundred billion tons of water, double the daily flow of all the rivers in the world, cascades through the mouth of the Bay of Fundy from the Atlantic Ocean every 12 hours.

The St. John River has its source in a wilderness area of northern Maine. The river flows south a distance of 450 miles until it meets the Bay of Fundy in Saint John. That’s where the fun begins. It’s called the Reversing Falls.

The Micmac and Maliseet Indians of the area had a legend about the Reversing Falls. Glooscap was the keeper of all life. All the animals accepted Glooscap’s supremacy except for the beaver. He built a dam across the mouth of what is now the St. John River. Glooscap became angry and with his mighty club smashed the dam, in the process creating what is now a series of islands in the river by the falls. The force of his blow caused the water to swirl and boil and Glooscap said he would leave it that way so beaver can never again build a dam. But the Indians who lived there begged Glooscap to change his mind so he agreed to still the waters for 20 minutes every six hours.

This legend tries to explain what happens when the Fundy tides meet the waters of the river. Twice a day at high tide the powerful tides force the river water to change direction and flow upriver. Twice a day at low tide the mighty river pours into the Bay. And for 20 minutes in between each the river water is calm at slack tide. Combine that with the narrowing of the river in this gorge and an underwater ledge and you have the world famous Reversing Falls. For hundreds of years people were terrified of the falls. To venture into that water at high or low tide meant instant death. And most often it did. But today freestyle-white water kayakers play in those roaring waters every day.

One of the first people to paddle in the Reversing Falls was Harold Cox, the manager of the Canadian Freestyle Kayak Team. He’s been kayaking for 34 years. He knew the falls was doable and today paddlers come from everywhere to kayak these waters. Harold has paddled all over the world and he believes the Reversing Falls is the best white water a kayaker can find.

Earlier in the summer paddlers from all over the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario and Maine gathered for an annual competition at the Falls. They ride the standing waves and do tricks on them. They sometimes get sucked down into a whirlpool and pop back up like a cork. Kayakers say they love paddling here most of all because of the rush. They say when you get out into those waves your heart is pounding and the adrenalin is surging. They call it an amazing experience.

If you want to find out more about paddling in the Reversing Falls check out the podcast Doing Stuff Outdoors-10. You’ll get to meet a number of the paddlers and find out first hand what it’s like to paddle in the falls, the only place in the world where the water flows both ways.

I’m a sea kayaker and you’d never get me in those rapids. But it sure is fun to watch people who know what they’re doing playing in water that terrorizes most of us. I can’t help but wonder though what Glooscap would think of all these people in little plastic boats messing around in his rapids.

LISTEN TO PODCAST

It’s our tenth show and to celebrate we have a special edition of Doing Stuff Outdoors for you. We’re going to the second annual Reverse Freestyle Kayak and BoaterX competition at the world famous Reversing Falls in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. This event brings together the top freestyle, whitewater paddlers from the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario and Maine.

The BoaterX competition sees kayakers racing through the rapids around a course at low tide. The Freestyle event has paddlers doing flips and cartwheels on the huge standing waves created by the incredible tides of the Bay of Fundy, (the highest in the world) combining with the powerful flow of the mighty St. John River. At high tide the water through these rapids actually reverses and flows upstream. Many locals still consider it suicidal going anywhere near these waters at low or high tide.

We’re going to get in on the action by talking to some of the paddlers who will explain what it’s really like being in these raging waters with whirlpools large enough and powerful enough to pull a boat underwater and hold it there. We’ll find out why these kayakers have such a passion for extreme white water.

For more on the Reversing Falls and kayaking in Atlantic Canada check out Atlantic Kayaker.

Subscribe to Doing Stuff Outdoors in iTunes
Email us at doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

On this weeks show we’ll take you for a kayak paddle on the mighty St. John River in New Brunswick, Canada. For part of its run this river forms the border between Maine and New Brunswick before it empties into the Bay of Fundy, home of the highest tides in the world. Gary introduces us to his home-made sea kayak and his favorite river.

Also this week running guru Alex Coffin is back with some advice for people who want to make the switch from walking to running. He’ll have some tips on how to make the transition without injury.

On ‘All Things Outdoors’, the new name of our news package we’ll look at one possible impact of global warming.

And we’ll share an email with a listener from Australia who’s getting ready for the ski season down under.

Featured Podsafe Music this week is from Brian Turner.

Next time on Doing Stuff Outdoors we will have a feature interview with a man who ran across the Sahara Desert.

Send along your comments and suggestions to doingstuffoutdoors@yahoo.ca