This episode examines one of the darker chapters in the history of New Brunswick and what would become Canada - social violence in Saint John in 1849 that took up to a dozen lives. Join us to hear about what happened on July 12, 1849, when several hundred Orangemen from Saint John, Portland, Carleton and as far away as Woodstock, began to parade towards the Irish Catholic immigrant ghetto of York Point. The marchers, led by a member representing their hero, King William of Orange riding on a horse, were determined to humiliate their enemies, who they regarded as undesirable aliens. The men, women and even the children of York Point were equally determined to keep the intruders off “their ground.”

Show Notes: https://www.nothinghappenedhere.ca/post/except-for-the-york-point-riot-of-1849

In the summer of 1854, Saint John and the neighbouring town of Portland were hit by cholera, which killed between 1100 and 1500 people. The highest death tolls were among poor and immigrant populations who lived in low-lying tenement districts with poor drainage, limited access to clean drinking water, and primitive methods for disposing of human waste. Although the elderly and very young of the working class were most vulnerable, the disease also affected citizens living in middle class and elite city blocks and even those in rural areas surrounding the city.

In this episode, Mark and Greg discuss how cholera was spread, its effects on those it infected, and how competing theories at the time made things worse.

Show Notes: https://www.nothinghappenedhere.ca/post/except-for-the-cholera-epidemic-of-1854-1

In our opening podcast episode, we examine the dramatic 1785 provincial election in Saint John, the colony’s largest settlement, which was punctuated by a riot. This contested election, the first in the colony, revealed simmering tensions among the Loyalist migrants that had been imported from New York.

Show Notes: https://www.nothinghappenedhere.ca/post/except-for-the-1785-election-riot-1

Join us on September 17, 2024 for the first episode of Saint John - Nothing Happened Here.

Many people think that nothing significant ever really happened in Saint John, New Brunswick. This history podcast challenges those thoughts by uncovering little known tales from the city and providing fresh perspectives on the people, places and events of the past.

Mark Allan Greene is a history enthusiast who loves a good story. Greg Marquis is an academic historian who uncovers the past. Together, they bring you Saint John - Nothing Happened Here.