The Bear River Pulp Company Inc. Pipeline

The Bear River-based Clark Brothers built their pulp mill at the mouth of the Bear River c1919; their company was in receivership by 1923. In 1924 the Bear River Pulp Company Inc. was incorporated and bought all the pulp mill assets from the receiver. However, in spite of much local optimism the mill suffered from a collapsing North American pulp market and never went into commercial production. The mill’s brick superstructure was still in place in the 1940s and 1950s and spoke quietly of dreams never realized.

Copy of Photo from the NS Archives showing the Clark Brothers’ pulp mill c1920

After its purchase of the pulp mill’s assets in 1924 a decision was made by the Bear River Pulp Company to source its fresh water for the anticipated mill production on the East Branch of the Bear River. This necessitated the construction of a pipeline some 5.5 miles long and 24 inches in diameter designed to supply the mill operation with fresh water. The pipe was constructed of imported Douglas fir and had its origins in a large pool on the East Branch of the Bear River known as the Little Salmon Pool, the first sizable pool (of two) above today’s Gulch power development at the Head-of-the-Tide.

In 2013 I was contacted by Nova Scotian historian Michael Parker, formerly of Bear River, who asked if I knew where the pipeline traversed through the community? I confessed I did not. As a kid we had walked the pipeline right-of-way north of Oakdene School on the east side of the River so I knew it had hugged the east shoreline from Oakdene to the mill site. I had assumed it sourced its water at the “electric light dam” on the West Branch just below the Cashman house, but was aware that it had run along the east shoreline of the Upper Basin below Bill Morine’s house. I was not aware of any evidence of the pipeline footprint through the community.  

Michael then went into ‘research mode’ and provided the following a few days later:

Mystery solved - I think.  I was in Digby this evening giving a talk and spent the day in Bear River beforehand asking around.  Spoke to Harold Porter who remembered the pipeline.  It originated at the Salmon Hole (I think that's the name), came down over Peck's Hill near to where a modern A-frame sits, crossed the back lawn of where Harold Porter now lives, went under the road near the Hill property on the corner, followed the river along the east bank above ground (on a sort of crib work in places), went underground again somewhere along LV Harris property, past the cannon at the corner of Trading Company to the Clarke property where the road goes to the wharves, stayed buried all the way past the wharves, crossed somewhere near the foot of our field and then the school grounds and finally emerged at the base of the steep hill where the well defined road or dirt path goes up and over.  Rest is history.  This was confirmed by Dave Parker tonight.  Apparently, the pipe was saturated in creosote so I bet if you were to dig somewhere near the foot of the school ground hill an intact piece would turn up.  The ground has never caved in that I have noticed so pipe must still be good.  Not sure how deep it went.  They tell me traces of the pipe can still be found far down river so hope to make a trip to find out.

Copy of Photo from the NS Archives showing the fresh water supply pipe for the Bear River Pulp Company mill c1924 traversing the hillside below Commander Hood’s home on the Chute Road.

This same photo was displayed in Water Under the Bridge, a 2001 compilation of Bear River history from 1920 to 1980 and provided to the Bear River Historical Society by Denzel and Madie York

More recently (March 2017) I put the question of the pipeline and its location to my sister Thelma who was born in 1930 and spent most of her formative years in Bear River. She provided the following news item which she had retrieved from the book A Far Away Place, Bear River by Mary Marvin McLeod (1920-2003) which focused on Mary’s growing up in Bear River in the 1930s:

The people of Bear River and vicinity are showing great interest in the construction of a pipeline which will lead the water from “Little Salmon Hole” on the East Branch of the River. The work is being engineered by Donald Construction Co of Halifax and already progress is showing signs that will be completed according to contract. At present the road has been excavated and laid out just beyond “Canoe Rock” and the pipes are completed to the premises of L. V. Harris. The pipe has a bore of 24 inches and is made of Douglas Fir from British Columbia. The pipe is made up in sections and assembled just before laying. Every weekend the SS Bear River makes a special trip to St. John, N.B. to bring back a cargo of fir lumber for the pipe. The Bear River Pulp Company is being congratulated for their work!

Of interest, practically all evidence of the former pipe had been removed from the area below Commander Hood’s home by 1950; I can only recall finding a single nut from the pipe’s iron hardware on the southern end of the former right-of-way in the period 1948 to 1956.

Below are two photos which were provided to me by Michael Parker c2014. They provide two views of the former pipe, in situ, on its north end not far from the former mill site. The individual in the photo may be Jonathon Riley, formerly a reporter for The Digby Courier, and the individual who hiked, solo, across Nova Scotia in Dec 2020!

Two c2014 photos of the remains of the Bear River Pulp Company pipeline still in place at its north end, not far from the former mill site.

Jan 2025