Campobello Island

{{See also|History of New Brunswick}}

File:Capt. William Owen, R.N.png]]

The island was originally settled by the Passamaquoddy Nation, who called it Ebaghuit.{{fact|date=March 2025}}

The first Europeans were from the French expedition of Pierre Dugua de Mons and Samuel de Champlain, who founded the nearby Saint Croix Island settlement in 1604. France named the island Port aux Coquilles ("Seashell Harbour"). It has been speculated that the fort of Jean Serreau di St Aubin, known to have been built somewhere in the Passamaquoddy Bay but vacated in the years surrounding King William's War and Benjamin Church's 1704 expulsion of the French from the Bay, may have been situated on Campobello Island.Proceedings and Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, 1883, https://archive.org/details/proceedingstrans2121roya/page/n415/mode/2up?q=%22deer+island%22

Following the War of the Spanish Succession, under terms of the Treaty of Utrecht (1713), the island became part of the British colony of Nova Scotia. Its first post office opened in 1795.Wells, Kate Gannett. s:Campobello, An Historical Sketch

In 1770, the island was granted to Captain Owen who immediately set to work building a town he dubbed New Warrington (Wilson's Beach, today) but after only a year on the island in June 1771, Owen was recalled to active military service; he never returned to Campobello Island although still advertising for industrious farmers to help settle it before his 1778 death in India.

The population was increased by United Empire Loyalists after the American Revolutionary War. Smuggling was a major part of the island's prosperity around this time, starting as soon as 1807.https://www.saltscapes.com/roots-folks/2105-bluebloods-black-market.html In later years, it was remarked that merchant ships secretly putting ashore at Eastport, Maine would report in ledgers that they travelled to "Sweden" once or twice a day with their wares. The first major smuggling trial in the Bay of Fundy convicted Gillam Butler, of Campobello Island in 1796 of illegally importing US whale oil under the pretense it was harvested in New Brunswick.Craven, Paul. "Petty Justice: Low Law and the Sessions System in Charlotte County"

During the War of 1812 the Royal Navy seized coastal lands of Maine as far south as the Penobscot River but returned them following the war, except for offshore islands. Capt. Owen wrote to the Prince Regent, noting that if the Crown insisted on ordering Campobello residents to perform military drills on the mainland as he had cautioned against, the Crown may find Campobello fighting against it,Wells, Kate Gannett. s:Acadiensis/Volume 1/Number 1/David Owen of Campobello, N. B., 1901 and stating "the Crown alone, without our consent, has no right to tax us.".

In 1817, the United States relinquished its claim to Campobello, Deer, and Grand Manan islands, in exchange for islands in Cobscook Bay. The provincial government of New Brunswick funded the construction of Head Harbour Lighthouse, or East Quoddy Head Light, in 1829; this light station would be a counterpart to West Quoddy Head Light which the United States built in the previous decades. As of 1842, Thomas Wyer was one of three commissioners of the lighthouses on Machias Seal Island, Campobello and at Saint Andrews.https://ia804501.us.archive.org/8/items/cihm_38425/cihm_38425.pdf

File:WFW Owen renting out Campobello.png

In 1835, the illegitimate son of Captain Owen, Vice-Admiral William Fitzwilliam Owen, became sole proprieter of the island and took great interest in his advanced years in building the island community but struggled with an "addiction" to local women.https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/owen_william_fitz_william_8E.html

In 1866, a band of more than 700 members of the Fenian Brotherhood arrived at the Maine shore opposite the island with the intention of seizing Campobello{{cite book|author=Jennifer Crump|title=Canada Under Attack|url=https://archive.org/details/canadaunderattac0000crum|url-access=registration|date=26 July 2010|publisher=Dundurn|isbn=9781459704879|page=[https://archive.org/details/canadaunderattac0000crum/page/133 133]}} but were dispersed by British warships from Halifax.Buescher, John. "[http://teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/19821 What Happened to the Fenians After 1866?]" [http://www.teachinghistory.org Teachinghistory.org], accessed 8 October 2011

British naval officer John James Robinson became owner of the island in 1857 by virtue of having married Owen's daughter.Lorimer, John G. "History of Islands and Islets in the Bay of Fundy, Charlotte County, New Brunswick", [https://archive.org/details/historyofislands00lori/page/n5/mode/2up Archive.org copy], 1876 In 1881, it was sold to a group of American businessmen, including James Roosevelt. In the 1880s, the island was developed as a resort summer colony for wealthy Canadians and Americans, as was nearby St. Andrews, New Brunswick and Bar Harbor, Maine. A luxurious resort hotel and many grand estates were built.{{cite book|author=Erika J. Waters|title=Kittery to Bar Harbor: Touring Coastal Maine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3Ox1jrCQg9QC&pg=PA119|year=2010|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=9780738572819|page=119}} From 1883, the Roosevelt family made Campobello Island their summer home.

By the mid-1800s, Campobello Island had a population in excess of 1,000, which grew to 1,230 by 1910.

The island is at the entrance to Passamaquoddy Bay, adjacent to the entrance to Cobscook Bay, and within the Bay of Fundy. The island is one of the Fundy Islands. The island has no road connection to the rest of Canada; it is connected by the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge to nearby Lubec, Maine. Reaching mainland Canada by car without crossing an international border is possible only during the summer season and requires two separate ferry trips, first to nearby Deer Island, then to L'Etete.{{cite book|author=Paul Karr|title=Frommer'sMaine Coast|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=clq5ClZfTiIC&pg=PA248|date=18 March 2005|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9780764595974|page=248}}

The ferry to Deer Island was stopped in 2017 after the boat sank, leaving the island without a direct connection to the rest of Canada.{{cite news |last1=O'Connor |first1=Joe |title=The island Canada forgot: On Campobello, citizens are left exiles in their own land |url=https://business.financialpost.com/news/economy/the-island-canada-forgot-on-campobello-citizens-are-left-exiles-in-their-own-land |access-date=24 January 2019 |work=Financial Post |date=23 January 2018}} Service was restored and became year-round due to the COVID pandemic.{{cite news |last1=Sutherland |first1=Marie |title=Campobello ferry to run all winter amid worsening COVID situation |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/campobello-island-ferry-extension-1.6288344 |access-date=19 August 2022 |work=CBC News |date=16 December 2021}}

The jurisdiction of the eponymous rural community and of the census division include Head Harbour Island.

Measuring {{convert|14|km}} long and about {{convert|5|km|spell=in}} wide, it has an area of {{convert|39.6|km2}}. On the north is a high bluff headland, East Quoddy Point.{{cite book|author=U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey|title=Atlantic Local Coast Pilot: Sub-division 1: Passamaquoddy Bay to Schoodic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4s47AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA15|year=1879|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|page=15}} On the west are Charley Point and the Mulholland Point navigation light.

File:Fisherman at Malloch Beach, Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada, 1973.JPG

The island has several good harbours,{{cite book|author=Richardson Clover|title=Sailing Directions for Nova Scotia, Bay of Fundy, and South Shore of Gulf of St. Lawrence|url=https://archive.org/details/sailingdirectio00clovgoog|year=1891|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|page=[https://archive.org/details/sailingdirectio00clovgoog/page/n44 29]}} and the majority of residents are employed in the fishing, aquaculture or tourism industries.

The two major tourist attractions on the island are Herring Cove Provincial Park and Roosevelt Campobello International Park. The latter was created in 1964 and was officially opened by U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson in 1966.

File:Franklin D. Roosevelt on Campobello Island - NARA - 196819.jpg

The island's only highway, Route 774, is connected by the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge to Lubec, Maine – the easternmost town in the continental United States. The only transportation link with the rest of Canada is a seasonal ferry service to Deer Island.{{cite book|author=David Goss|title=St. George and Its Neighbours|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iG3daqoPj6gC&pg=PA91|year=2002|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=9780738511498|page=91}}

United States Customs and Border Protection service began searching packages to the island, originating in Canada, in 2019, prompting outcry.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-49901455|title=Canadian islanders angry over US mail searches|work=BBC|date=December 2019 |access-date=2019-12-01}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2020/01/19/quiet-campobello-island/SeVlt0NQqRWdnXrx7b4yfL/story.html|title=On quiet Campobello Island, Canadians angered by US inspection of their mail|work=Boston Globe|access-date=2020-01-20}}{{cite web |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/01/03/cut-off-by-geography-and-covid-19-this-canadian-island-is-calling-out-for-a-link-to-the-rest-of-canada-to-no-avail.html |title=Cut off by geography and COVID-19, this Canadian island is calling out for a link to the rest of Canada — to no avail |date=3 January 2021 |work=Toronto Star |access-date=3 January 2021 }}

In late 2020, residents renewed their demands for the Canadian government to build a bridge to the New Brunswick mainland given the current ferry cannot operate in winter (three other New Brunswick islands do benefit from year-round ferry services). Driving to mainland Canada requires travel into Maine via the bridge, which proved difficult during the restrictions imposed on both sides of the border during the COVID-19 pandemic in North America. The border closure meant driving to and from the island was prohibited, except for essential purposes.{{cite web |url=https://www.cicnews.com/2020/12/canada-extends-restrictions-on-u-s-travellers-until-january-21-1216579.html#gs.p2jxuq |title=Canada extends restrictions on U.S. travellers until January 21 |date=21 December 2020 |work=Toronto Star |access-date=3 January 2021 |quote=The historic border closure between Canada and the U.S. will extend into the new year.}}

The government agreed to pay for an extension of the ferry service until 10 January 2021, however, winter weather after this was too dangerous. Member of Parliament John Williamson said "I think we’re in a position that some infrastructure dollars could be made available once the province has a plan and proposal ready to submit".{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/ferry-service-campobello-island-gnb-1.5837450 |title=Campobello ferry service extended to January |date=11 December 2020 |work=CBC News |access-date=3 January 2021 |quote=The ferry, privately owned ... typically runs from late June to September. It connects Campobello Island to Deer Island, where people can take a year-round ferry to mainland New Brunswick.}}

The island has one school, Campobello Island Consolidated School, for all school grades, in the Anglophone South School District.

Communities within the rural community:{{cite web |title=No. 166 |url=https://archives.gnb.ca/App_Handlers/FileDownloadHandler.ashx?filename=/DigitizedDocuments/Communities/Maps/Cadastral/_Oversize/GRPA166.jpg |website=Provincial Archives of New Brunswick |publisher=Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development |access-date=5 July 2021}} Remainder of parish on maps 108, 117, 118, 129, and 130 at same site.{{cite web |title=501 |url=https://www.gnb.ca/0113/maps/Mapbooks/maps-2020/map501.pdf |website=Transportation and Infrastructure |publisher=Government of New Brunswick |access-date=5 July 2021}} Remainder of parish on mapbook 503 at same site.{{cite web |title=Search the Canadian Geographical Names Database (CGNDB) |url=http://www4.rncan.gc.ca/search-place-names/search?lang=en |website=Government of Canada |access-date=5 July 2021}}

• North Road
• Otter Cove
• Welshpool
• Wilsons Beach

Bodies of waterNot including brooks, ponds or coves. at least partly within the rural community:

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Friars Bay
• Lake Glensevern
• Harbour de Lute
• Head Harbour
• Head Harbour Passage
• Lubec Channel
• Lubec Narrows
• Mill Cove Creek
• Mill Stream
• Quoddy Narrows
• Passamaquoddy Bay

{{div col end}}

Other named islands within the rural community:

• Duck Islands
• Duck Rock
• Head Harbour Island
• Little Island
• Sugar Loaf Rock

Conservation areas at least partly within the rural community:

• Herring Cove Provincial Park{{cite journal |title=New Brunswick Regulation 2017-46 under the Parks Act (O.C. 2017-293) |journal=The Royal Gazette |date=13 December 2017 |volume=175 |pages=1496–1497 |url=https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Corporate/Gazette/2017/rg20171213.pdf |access-date=5 July 2021 |publisher=Queen's Printer |location=Fredericton |issn=1714-9428}}
• Roosevelt Campobello International Park

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Campobello Island had a population of {{val|949|fmt=commas}} living in {{val|423|fmt=commas}} of its {{val|612|fmt=commas}} total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:949-872}}|872|1}} from its 2016 population of {{val|872|fmt=commas}}. With a land area of {{convert|39.59|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|949|39.59|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000203&geocode=A000213 | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), New Brunswick | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=February 9, 2022 | accessdate=February 21, 2022}}

{{Canada census

|location = Campobello Island

|2021_population=949 | 2021_pop_delta=+8.8 | 2021_land_area=39.59 | 2021_pop_density=24

|2021_median_age=50.8 | 2021_median_age_m=48.0 | 2021_median_age_f=52.0

|2021_total_pvt_dwell=612 |2021_occ_pvt_dwell=423 |2021_mean_hh_income=66,000

|2021_geocode=2021A00051302004 | 2021_access_date=2023-10-19

|2016_population=872 |2016_pop_delta=-5.7 |2016_land_area=39.67 |2016_pop_density=22.0

|2016_median_age=48.4 |2016_median_age_m=48.2 |2016_median_age_f=48.4

|2016_total_pvt_dwell=616 |2016_mean_hh_income=52,139 |2016_access_date=2019-08-26

|2011_population=925 |2011_pop_delta=-12.4 |2011_land_area=39.67 |2011_pop_density=23.3

|2011_median_age=46.0 |2011_median_age_m=46.1 |2011_median_age_f=45.9

|2011_total_pvt_dwell=641 |2011_mean_hh_income= |2011_access_date=2014-03-15

|2006_population=1,056 | 2006_pop_delta=-11.6 | 2006_land_area=39.59 | 2006_pop_density=26.7

|2006_median_age=43.4 | 2006_median_age_m=43.3 | 2006_median_age_f=43.5

|2006_total_pvt_dwell=632 | 2006_mean_hh_income=38,159 | 2006_access_date=2014-03-15

|2001_population=1,195 | 2001_pop_delta=-8.4 | 2001_land_area=39.60 | 2001_pop_density=30.2

|2001_median_age=39.8 | 2001_median_age_m=39.2 | 2001_median_age_f=40.5

|2001_total_pvt_dwell=600 |2001_mean_hh_income=32,684 | 2001_access_date=2014-03-15

|notes=

}}

{{Historical populations|width=60%

| title= Historical census data
Campobello Parish, NB

| percentages =

| shading = off

| align = none

| cols = 3

| 1991 |1317

| 1996 |1305

| 2001 |1195

| 2006 |1056

| 2011 | 925

| 2016 | 872

| 2021 | 949

| footnote = Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 census{{cite web |title=Census Profile, 2016 Census: Campobello Island, Rural community [Census subdivision] | date=8 February 2017 |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=1302004&Geo2=PR&Code2=13&SearchText=campobello&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1&type=0 |publisher=Statistics Canada |access-date=26 August 2019}}

}}

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Category:Communities in Charlotte County, New Brunswick

Category:Former local service districts of New Brunswick

Category:Coastal islands of New Brunswick

Category:Rural communities in New Brunswick