Roddickton, Newfoundland and Labrador
Encyclopedia
Roddickton is a town located north west of Meelpaeg Lake. Roddickton was originally named Easter Brook and was used by residents of Englee
Englee, Newfoundland and Labrador
Englee is a small fishing community on the east side of the Great Northern Peninsula in a sheltered harbour on the northern headland of Canada Bay, Newfoundland, Canada.-See also:* List of cities and towns in Newfoundland and Labrador...

, a small fishing community for salmon fishing, hunting and trapping. In 1906, the Grenfell Mission
Grenfell Mission
Grenfell Mission is a medical and religious mission founded by Sir Wilfred Grenfell in the late 19th century in St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador....

 began a sawmill operation here and the name was changed to Roddickton in honour of Thomas George Roddick
Thomas George Roddick
Sir Thomas George Roddick was a Canadian surgeon, medical administrator, and politician born in Harbor Grace, Newfoundland-Medical service:...

, a supporter of the mission. The first permanent settlers of the community were residents from Englee and Wild Cove who went there to work in the sawmill operation and to clear land for growing crops for the St. Anthony hospital. The first census was taken in 1911, and showed a population of 46, but the sawmill closed and by 1921 there were only 8 residents left and the community was abandoned the next year. Four years later, the sawmill was reopened and in the 1930s Bowater
Bowater
Bowater was an American pulp and paper company based in Greenville, South Carolina. Bowater had 12 pulp and paper mills in the United States, Canada and South Korea and 13 North American sawmills. It had approximately 10,000 employees...

began pulpwood cutting in the area. By 1945, the population rose to 548. It was incorporated as a town in 1953. In the 1960s, isolation ended with a road being built to the town and made it the region's service and supply centre. People from other small settlements in the were resettled to Roddickton and in 1961 the population was 1185. In the 1970s, things began to decline. The pulpwood operations owned by Bowater closed, causing many to leave the area. In the 1980s, a crab plant was opened up to provide employment for the community, but in the late 1980s a fire destroyed it and the sawmill. By 1992, the sawmill was running again, the crab plant had been rebuilt, but was not operating.
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