Description

Saint John West Volume II adds to and continues the story of the West Side's struggle for existence. Always dependent on seasonal industry, initially fishing and shipbuilding and later the railway and seaport, the area has seen high and low points in its 200-plus years of existence. At one time, residents imagined times would become so prosperous that King Street would be transformed into a major boulevard paved with gold and Courtenay Hill would be the site of a huge, decorative cathedral dedicated to the inner spirit. In reality, the fish have stopped coming, the wooden ships are no longer built, and the Canadian Pacific railway that provided hundreds of jobs and promised such hope has left the Maritimes. Changing trade patterns and political favours to keep the St. Lawrence open to Montreal has devastated the winter-port operations. Many Saint John West residents have had to close their businesses and move on. Others were displaced when the construction of the Harbour Bridge tore three full blocks out of the heart of the community in 1968. Still others have chosen to remain, and today, though little industry exists, the area is still vibrant and working hard to hold together some vestige of the pride of former times.