Edmundston is the most important business and service hub in Northwestern New Brunswick. It is the most populated city in the region. At the beginning of colonization, Edmundston was called Petit-Sault (small fall). The old fort of Petit-Sault, located at the confluence of the Saint-Jean and Madawaska rivers, was used to protect the territory.
Incorporated in 1905, the city takes its current name from a former governor of New Brunswick, Sir Edmund Walker Head, who in 1856 visited Madawaska. Before the arrival of the first settlers, the Amerindians called this place "Madoueskak", meaning land of porcupines.
Logging marked the growth of economic activity in Edmundston. In 1917, the Fraser Company (now under the name of Twin Rivers) built a pulp mill and, in 1925, set up another mill for the manufacture of paper in Madawaska, a neighboring American town in Maine. With a length of 2 km, large gauge pipes connect the two border factories. These ducts are used for the flow of steam and dough. To learn more about our regional forest history, you can visit the Knock on Wood site, representing the forest at the heart of the Madawaskayan social and cultural heritage in Acadia.
At City Hall, Canada Street, you can admire a historical fresco by Claude Picard called "La vie au Madawaska 1785-1985". This commemorative work marks the bicentenary of the arrival of the first settlers in the region. The art gallery in the foyer of the town hall presents new exhibitions regularly. Outside, stand the magnificent wooden sculptures, made with a chainsaw by the artist Albert Deveau, evoking the origin of the builders of Madawaska.
The new face of Downtown Edmundston is also enhanced thanks to the vast development and planning vision project.
The "Parking Party" which took place during the Foire Brayonne.
The Le Petit Témis cycle path is a 130 km cycle path that connects Edmundston to Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. Built on an old railway line, the winding route of the path reveals a magnificent panorama. The bike path begins at the marina, located on Victoria Street. At this location, you can take excursions on the Madawaska River and rent bicycles.
Take advantage of your walk in the city center to discover the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, rue de l'Eglise, which evokes Gothic and Romanesque architecture. On the other bank of the Madawaska River, stands the Church of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, which houses wooden sculptures by artist Claude Roussel representing the Stations of the Cross. There is also an Anglican church on rue de l'Eglise. Built in 1873, it has been classified as a National Historic Site of Canada. On Canada Street, you can see a Presbyterian church dating from 1891, which is in the process of becoming an arts centre.
For more information about the heritage of the City of Edmundston, you can contact the Recreation and Culture Department or visit the Madawaska-Victoria Heritage site (network of museums in the counties of Madawaska and Victoria). We also invite you to visit the Untangling the Brushes site, which paints an interactive portrait of life in the Acadian lands and forests.
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