Page 10 - Mighty Miramichi 2018 River Guide

Blackville

and surrounding areas

Snuggled between two placid rivers, the Miramichi and Bartholomew, in the heart of
New Brunswick, is the picturesque little village of Blackville. With a population of just
under a thousand residents, Blackville's economy was once heavily tied to the forest industry
through a locally run sawmill. Now, the quaint village is the local service centre for
thousands of residents in outlying areas, providing a supermarket, hardware store, pharmacy, post office, several
restaurants, gas stations, and much more, including one financial institution, the Blackville Credit Union, which is the
oldest of its kind in New Brunswick.
Blackville is an access point to an extensive snowmobile and ATV trail system and also boasts a beautiful municipal
park. With walking trails, a playground, picnic area, boat launch and an observation deck, the park is located in the centre
of the village on the site of the first lumber mill, where logs were run down the river from miles away to be processed in
the early 1900's. A wood carving of the Dungarvon Whooper by Kevin Coughlan stands in the Blackville Municipal
Park. The Dungarvon Whooper is a terrifying tale told throughout the province, involving a young man working as a cook
in a lumber camp who was murdered. According to legend, the man's ghost makes a loud whooping noise each night in
the dense forest surrounding the village.

Fly fishing near the Blackville Municipal Park on the Main Southwest
Miramichi River. Photo by Les McLaughlin.

10 Mighty Miramichi River Guide 2018/2019 | www.riverguide.ca