INTRODUCTION

The complex squatted on land dredged from the adjacent river bed. Inthe spring, the saturated earth threatened to swallow the mill and the fewadjacent houses; The Summer heat baked the earth while listless winds wanderedthe grounds.

            My youthful view wasfrom the grimy windows of an ancient school bus groaning past the site withdepressing regularity. As a sullen teen, I knew the mill absently as the placewhere Dad worked. Actually, he didn't work "in" the mill. He was thebookkeeper/paymaster in the company office a few hundred yards up the street. Afew years later, when I needed work to pay student loans; the mill gave mesteady employment at a fair wage.

            It has been shutteredfor decades and forgotten by many except retirees and the bank that seized theassets in a bankruptcy claim.

 

In the late eighties and onward, many forestry and mining companies inthe Miramichi region shared similar fates. Raw material became unprofitable toaccess or process. With outdated equipment and shifting markets, manyindustries collapsed.

Economic and political variables play out withlittle regard for employees and citizens. People are left to stare at rustingmachinery and collapsing buildings. They have a brief time to reflect on theirlives and income before they drift to the next era in their community or leaveit. The Miramichi region has experienced the vagaries of primary industriessince the 1800s.

This story offers an alternate perspective. Itfollows four generations of the Burchill family, who created a lumber dynastystretching over one hundred forty years. The narrative draws from a variety ofsources, including John Burchill and his father, Senator Percy Burchill.

Through the experiences of successivegenerations, this account describes these men as entrepreneurs and communitysupporters.

The author gratefully acknowledges DerekBurchill (John’s son). His cooperation was essential in making much of thematerial available.

The Burchill story is compelling. Theirsuccesses and failures are intrinsically tied to the people of Miramichi,specifically the residents of the small village of Nelson, where the mill waslocated.

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER ONE - Beginnings

The story begins onBeaubear’s Island (Quoomeneegook), or "Island of Pines" as itwas known to the Migmaw people. Less than 3 km long and 1 km wide,it’s at the confluence of the Northwest Miramichi and Southwest Miramichirivers. Towering White Pines still form a canopy over most of the island. Forthe Mi’gmaw, it was their living and hunting grounds for a thousand yearsbefore the appearance of Scottish settlers led by William Davidson.

Davidson was the firstnon-indigenous person to establish a community on Beaubear’s. His effortsincluded clearing a portion of the island, harvesting the White Pine for theBritish Navy, and setting up a fisheries industry. An Acadian populationfollowed after their expulsion by the British from the area we know as NewBrunswick and Nova Scotia.

 

 

General CharlesBoishebert the island’s namesake) led 900 Acadians from Nova Scotia in a desperateattempt to find a new home. They were not prepared for the harsh climate.

Inthe first winter of 1657, it is estimated, two hundred individuals died ofmalnutrition and scurvy. A couple of years later, The British, in a show offorce and retribution, massacred most of the others, including women andchildren.

Theisland remained unoccupied for the next century. In the early 1800s, the Irishsettled on Beaubear’s Island. In 1826, six-year-old George Burchill peered overa ship’s railing as it made its way along the Miramichi River. George, his twobrothers, and two sisters could barely contain their excitement. Their parentspaired the anticipation with uncertainty. Unlike the generation of Irishemigrants who followed, starvation from famine was not the motivator. TheBurchills left behind their comfortable home and way of life in Bandon,Ireland.

Thefather, Thomas, chose to bring his young family to the sparsely populatedcountry so they would know the value of creating a new life for themselves.

As he matured, George didnot disappoint his parents. He began work as a clerk while still in school.

JosephRussell, a local entrepreneur and shipbuilder, frequented the store where theyoung Burchill worked. He noticed the boy’s energy and efficiency. In 1840, hehired George as a clerk, and in less than seven years, Burchill had risen toBusiness Manager, and worked closely with John Harley, the young, ambitiousMaster Builder. The two became friends. They began to share a vision of one daycreating their shipbuilding company. Their first loyalty remained with Russell,who willingly volunteered his knowledge as a businessman and shipbuilder.

Burchilland Harley were enthusiastic students of the older man. Russell was aconscientious person who worked hard to improve the lot of his employees andthe community.

Hewas also a devout Mormon who attempted to recruit followers. The effort was metwith resentment from the predominantly Irish Catholic residents. At onegathering of the small Mormon flock, a band of hooligans broke into themeeting. They ridiculed the participants and beat Russell so severely that hegave up the pulpit.

Thepersecution of those he had helped weighed heavily on him, and Russell decidedto move his family to Beaubear’s Island to. Coincidental to his move, thetimber market was low. The once-thriving Cunard yard went broke. And with itthe savings of many residents of Chatham. Cunard was the de facto banker beforethe established institutions. Joseph Russell saw the future that did notinclude him. On June 24, 1850, he set sail for the USA on the Omega, the lastvessel he had constructed. Before he left, he negotiated the sale of hisboatyard and inventory to Burchill and Harley.

Itwas not the transition they anticipated but the two men met the challengehead-on. They introduced efficiencies in the boatbuilding process.

They reasoned, aship’s life could be expanded and thus made more profitable. Harley andBurchill built sturdy and reliable craft and they insured them adequately. Theyproduced nine square-rigged ships weighing 500 to over 1000 tons. The featwould be herculean by today’s standards when considering the rudimentaryconstruction tools. Two of their vessels, "Ocean Bride" and"Equator," carried cargo worldwide for decades.