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Saint-Quentin, NB, incorporated as a town in 1992, population 2095 (2011c), 2250 (2006c). The Town of Saint-Quentin is located in northern New Brunswick in the Appalachian Highlands between the RESTIGOUCHE and MIRAMICHI rivers and tributaries of the SAINT JOHN RIVER. Originally called Five Fingers, after a local brook, in 1910 it was renamed Anderson Siding after the International Railway Company of New Brunswick's siding on the line from CAMPBELLTON to ST LEONARD. In 1919 it was renamed Saint-Quentin in honour of the Canadian army units that fought near Saint-Quentin, France, near the end of World War I. It was incorporated as a village in 1966 and granted town status in 1992.
A major fire destroyed much of the community in 1919. The early settlers followed the railway construction and developed an agricultural base that has since grown into a potato- and dairy-farming area. Sawmills and forest-related industries followed; today there are 5 shingle and hardwood sawmills. Other industries service and develop specialized agricultural and forest industry machinery. The MAPLE SYRUP INDUSTRY has become one of the region's most important industries.
The first grantees were French-speaking, and the population has remained so. The town is a service centre for the surrounding district and it is the entrance to MOUNT CARLETON PROVINCIAL PARK in an area noted for fishing and hunting. The area abounds in both indoor and outdoor recreational facilities, including hiking trails of the International Appalachian Trail. The area has produced Olympic-class cross-country skiers. Saint-Quentin's Western Festival attracts participants from across the country.
