The Sunken Treasure Ship In The Bay of Fundy
There is more than lobster to be found in the waters beyond Dipper Harbour, where this curious 1960 tourism promo was shot. A century…
June 30, 2026
1800s Bay of Fundy War
Articles
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Who Killed the Maritimes’ Greatest Flying Ace?
These articles on the website are (mostly) the articles from the Backyard History newspaper column, which have a strict 1,000 words/week limit. In the…
May 12, 2026
1900s War
The Strange Journey of Louisa Journeaux
When 22-year-old Louisa Journeaux stepped into a rowboat one quiet Sunday evening, she couldn’t have imagined that the whole world would hear about it.…
March 24, 2026
1800s Newfoundland
The Night The Crocodiles Attacked
A Fredericton Commando’s Second World War Victory Had The Japanese On The Run. Then Came The Crocodiles. Frederictonian Bruce Wright’s (left) idle daydreaming during…
March 17, 2026
1900s Fredericton Strange Tales War
The Forgotten Christmas Traditions of Old New Brunswick
Many of our beloved holiday traditions are surprisingly young. For example the old Loyalists would have been baffled at what a tree was doing…
December 9, 2025
1700s Christmas
The Hero of Priestman Street
Fredericton’s Bryan Priestman survived two world wars — only to lose his life on Remembrance Day, trying to save an eight-year-old boy. (Provincial Archives…
November 7, 2025
1900s Fredericton Greatest Hits War
My Classmate Who Never Came Home
Colin Wilmot's photo in our high school yearbook. Back in high school, I sat next to a warm, funny, kind-hearted soul named Colin Wilmot.…
November 4, 2025
1900s Fredericton War
The Hatchet Buried In The Stream
As he neared the end of his long and eventful life, legendary Wolastoqiyik Sachem (chief) Gabriel Acquin sat down with UNB professor Dr. Edward…
September 8, 2025
1800s War
The Prison Camp Poem of Alfred Elsliger
Alfred Elsliger (Canadian Virtual War Memorial) Alfred W. Elsliger enlisted with his friends, including my Great Uncle Wilfred Smith, in his little hometown of…
August 30, 2025
1900s North Shore War
The Wreck of the Martha
Loyalists had to endure unimaginable hardships to make it to the safety of New Brunswick, and not all made it. One ship of refugees…
June 10, 2025
1700s Bay of Fundy Saint John War
The First Murder in New Brunswick
New Brunswick’s first-ever murder took place in 1784, only two months after the province was created. The murder weapon was an ordinary table fork.…
May 13, 2025
1700s Bay of Fundy Saint John Strange Tales Women
Malobiannah and The Destroyer: The Heroine of Grand Falls
Grand Falls name in Wəlastəkwey is Chik-un-ik’-a-bik, which means “The Destroyer.” The name refers back to the story of a young woman named Malobiannah,…
April 29, 2025
1600s and Before Greatest Hits War Women
Terror From The Deep: The Giant Squid That Shocked The World
Tom Picot watched idly as an ominous, large, dark spot passed under the tiny fishing boat he and his father were aboard near Bell…
March 11, 2025
1800s Newfoundland Strange Tales
The Found Love in a Time of Hate
Amidst the chaos of the Second World War, love blossomed between a young man and a young woman who met at a dance contest.…
February 11, 2025
1900s Fredericton War Women
The Canadian Sailor Who Witnessed Lincoln’s Assassination
A young sailor from Fredericton was on shore leave in Washington DC on April 14th, 1865. He spontaneously decided to see a play at…
February 4, 2025
1800s Fredericton Strange Tales War
Two Teachers’ Summer Vacation on the Brink of War
As Europe teetered on the brink of war in the Summer of 1939, two Moncton schoolteachers went on a carefree two-month-long vacation across that…
January 28, 2025
1900s Moncton War Women
The Rise, Fall and Redemption of Bob Bartlett, Polar Explorer
Newfoundlander Bob Bartlett (right) and famous explorer Robert Peary (left) were a dynamic duo of Arctic exploration who faced triumph and controversy in their…
January 7, 2025
1900s Newfoundland
ANNOUNCEMENT: Book 3 ‘Rebellious Women In The Maritimes’ Is Out!
I’m thrilled to announce the launch of my new book, Backyard History: Rebellious Women in the Maritimes! This one’s for all of you who…
November 13, 2024
1600s and Before 1700s 1800s 1900s Women
Janet Webster’s Secret War
This is an abbreviated part of the centrepiece story of my new book, Rebellious Women In The Maritimes. Order your copy of the book…
November 13, 2024
1900s Moncton War Women
The Question I Was Never Supposed To Ask
North Shore teenagers Wilfred (left) and Bobby Smith (right), with brother-in-law Simon Pollack (centre) are all smiles as they pose on the Matepedia Bridge…
November 7, 2024
North Shore War
The Man Who Was Hanged On The Gallows He Built
A remarkable tale of dastardly murder, daring escape, and disastrously bad luck in the earliest days of New Brunswick is so (in)famous that it…
October 15, 2024
1700s Bay of Fundy Strange Tales
The Kilted Battalion That Captivated Two Nations: MacLean Kilties
Lt. Col. Percy Guthrie was not only a decorated officer who fought (and was wounded) in the First World War, but also a businessman…
September 24, 2024
1900s Fredericton War
Teenage Soldiers of the Soil Went From Classrooms to Farms
Getting this uniform was a major selling point for the teenage boys -some as young as only 13 years old- who answered the call…
February 28, 2024
1900s Saint John War
Princess Louise, a War Horse’s Tale
During the Second World War, New Brunswickers fighting in Italy rescued a horse, who became a beloved mascot for their regiment. After following the…
January 10, 2024
1900s Long Reads Saint John War