Roddickton - Newfoundland and Labrador

Route 433

Incorporated as a town in 1953, Roddickton was originally named Easter Brook and was used by residents of Englee for salmon fishing, hunting and trapping. In 1906, the Grenfell Mission began a sawmill operation here and the name was changed to Roddickton in honour of Thomas G. Roddick, a supporter of the Mission.

The first settlers of the community were residents of 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 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 1930's Bowater began pulpwood cutting in the area.

By 1945, the population rose to 548. In the 1960s, a road was constructed to Roddickton which ended its isolation and made it an the areas service and supply centre. During this time, many residents from the smaller communities in the area were resettled to Roddickton and in 1961 the population was 1185. In the 1970's, 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 1980's a fire destroyed it and the sawmill. By 1992, the sawmill was running again, the crab plant had been rebuilt, but was not operating.