|
Hunter River a Brief History
In 1798 there
were only seven families (maybe 50-60 people) living on
the eventual site of Hunter River Village. Over a hundred and fifty
years later in 1967 the population had grown to 325. Although bolstered by
the railroad the poulation has grown slowly over the
last Forty years. Today the population in Hunter River is 354 people spread over an
area of 6 square kilometers according to the 2001
census.
By 1880 Hunter River was already quite advanced. It had its own railroad, post office, carriage shop, shoemaker's shop and two blacksmith's shops. A unusla service available in 1880 is that unlike many early villages Hunter River had it's own semi weekly newspaper. Over time as the population grew so did the needs of the village. In the next forty years the village grew greatly in industry and services offered. According to old papers and manuscripts there was a resident doctor, a tailor, a dressmaking shop, a harness making shop, a photography stand, a cheese and butter/starch factory, a livery (horse boarding) stable and a mill (which is currently being restored and should be open for tourists sometime in 2008). Hunter River even had its own Taxi service at one point. A very important element in Hunter River's early existence was the building of the railroad. The railroad that would eventually cross the Island was started in the late 1860's. Unfortunately railroads are expensive to build and the Island Government was nearly bankrupted by its building. As part of the offer that eventually led the Island to join Canada in 1873, the Government of Canada agreed to complete the railroad and assume its current debts. With the completion of the railroad and entry of Prince Edward Island into Confederation trade picked up significantly. This caused much of the early industry on the Island to flourish. One bussieness that felt the boon of the Railroad is the Starch Mills. All good things must come to end end however, and as usage of the railroad declined the decision was eventually made by the C.N.R to close and remover the entire Island Railroad. The last train left Hunter River in 1989 and the track was removed the same year. The raised path where the railroad tracks used to lay has been converted into a beautiful walking and biking trail that stretches across the entire Island. It is believed that the first formal church was opened in 1890. Before that services were held in various buildings in and around the village. In pioneer days however Ministers and Priests were often scarce and so religion was often something taught in the home. Over the years the teaching centers in Hunter River have been in a multitude of different establishment and buildings. Until 1894 all children went to the Rennies Road School. In that year a classroom was opened in a local Hall which was also used as the church at one point. In 1899 the Hall burnt down and the class was moved to a shop owned by Macleod Bros. Two years later a new one room school was built in which school was taught until 1936. In that year grades one to 10 were moved to the Masonic Hall kitchen. In 1938 the one room school was closed and the building converted into a home. The same year a new two room school was built in which grades one to ten were taught until 1960. In 1960 the current village school Central Queens Regional High School was built to teach grades nine to twelve. In 1972 Central Queens was converted into a Elementary School. Today the school teaches pre-kindergarten to grade six. Present day Hunter River is much changed from the old map that can be viewed on the main page. One of the stores is now the local Royal Bank of Canada branch. On the site of one of the blacksmith shops is now a brewery store, the other vacant. The building marked post office was up on till a couple of years ago the local pharmacy and the expanded store beside it the doctors office. A couple of years ago they moved to a new combined site across the street and the doctor's office is now vacant. Right between the store and shoemakers shop is the current post office. The shoemakers shop site is now a private home the original store burning down along with in 1951 along with a warehouse, beauty parlor, meat market and barn. Nine year later the original Mill in Hunter River burned down. It was replaced by a water powered Bagnalls Mill on the same site. Although Bagnalls no longer supplies lumber it is as mentioned above is now in the process of being restored to olden days style for tourists and should be open sometime in 2008. Across the river from the Mill is the oldest remaining homestead in Hunter River. The home was built in 1834 and originally belonged to James Patterson who built the original Mill. It was built on land bought from David Rennie after which Rennies road is named. The Hunter River of now looks far different than the Hunter River of the past. Under the surface however Hunter River still remains much the same. The Village has grown and evolved over the years but you can still drive through the village and see many of the old businesses and buildings. If you ever wish to visit yourself follow the link below to get directions to Hunter River from anywhere. Click Here and type in Hunter River, Queens, Prince Edward Island Under the direction search bar to find us or, contact us at 964-2800 during the hours listed on the hour's page. |