The Hartland Salmon Pool

A fly-fishing paradise once thrived in Hartland, New Brunswick…

The book begins with Hoot Smith’s lifetime memories of fishing the salmon pool. It then picks up the stories the Wolastoqey Nation’s ancient tenure and the coming of the Loyalists.

In the 20th century, the Hartland Salmon Pool becomes famous for accessible fly-fishing and the town well known for its hospitality. A wealth of stories from interviews with local anglers and their families are the heart of this book, which includes over 300 photographs.

Finally, we encounter the battle waged by local anglers in the mid-1960s to prevent the building of the Mactaquac Dam downstream on the Wolastoq.

When their objections were ignored, they petitioned for a fish ladder, but the dam was built without one, blocking the salmon from reaching their upstream spawning grounds and the pool at Hartland. An abundant supply of local food and a tourism resource were lost.

But this may not be the end of the story; the Epilogue explores the realization that the dam was built with defective concrete due to an engineering mistake in its construction. The eventual removal of the dam is a real consideration. In that case, the Wolastoq’s restoration and the return of the salmon is a hopeful prospect.

The Hartland Salmon Pool is a major contribution to New Brunswick’s social, economic, political, and natural history.

Doris Kennedy comes from a pioneering family that settled in what is now Hartland, New Brunswick. Her interest in local history began with her grandmother, who shared stories about the town’s struggles with fires and floods, as well as the strength of the people who overcame these challenges.

As a child, Doris was fascinated by the fishermen at the Hartland Salmon Pool. She admired how they stood for hours in silence, hoping to catch a fish. To satisfy her curiosity, Doris talked to the fishermen and their families, who she came to know well. She now knows fishing is not just about the catch.

After a forty-year career in nursing, she retired to run a bed-and-breakfast. She now enjoys writing and traveling across Canada with her husband to see their four adult children and eleven grandchildren.

Doris is dedicated to writing about the history of Hartland, New Brunswick. She is the author of The Life of Heber Hatfield (a member of the Canadian Parliament and father of New Brunswick’s seventeen-year Premier, Richard Hatfield), The Bridge: The Story of the Longest Covered Bridge in the World, and Hidden History of Hartland. She is also the author of From There to Here, a history that documents the nursing program at Carleton Memorial Hospital in Woodstock before the hospital and nurses’ residence were torn down. She has also authored a number of plays and short stories.