Ephrem Boudreau wrote Riviere Bourgeois from which this history is taken and translated. In the book is a list of schooners built at River Bourgeois, along with their owners and the year they were constructed:
Reaper, 25 tons, 1867, James R. McLean
Siren, 17 tons, 1867, Pierre Landry
Eugénie, 29 tons, 1870, G.H. Bissett
Thédore, 20 tons, 1879, G.H. Bissett
Angélique, 20 tons, 1870, Louis Boucher
Kate B., 35 tons, 1872, Désiré Bouchard
Lennox, 74 tons, 1875
Neptune, 26 tons, 1875, Michel and Charles Boudreau
Mary Moulton, 27 tons, 1875, Célestin Cordeau and Abram Fougère
C.P.M., 22 tons, 1880, Désiré Bourque
Philomène, 22 tons, Tranquil Digout and Désiré Dugas
Minnie Pinkey, 26 tons, 1881
Eliza B., 40 tons, 1881, Charles Boudreau
Lady Fougere, 11 tons, 1883, Docité Fougère
Lumen Dei, 17 tons, 1883, Urbain Samson
Fanny S., 28 tons, 1892, Daniel Samson and A.J. Boyd
Stella, 46 tons, 1893, F.A. Bourque
Annie May, 11 tons, 1899, Placide Dugas
There are other schooner owners in more recent history. These later schooners in the parish were used mainly for fishing, and since 1915-1920, the presence of schooners in the waters of River Bourgeois became more and more rare.
“At the end of the First World War these witnesses of a bygone era disappeared one by one at River Bourgeois, as well as at neighbouring localities. It was the end of an historic epoch, at least in this part of the country; the end of dory fishing on the high seas. Sailing ships gradually gave way to steamships and trawlers.
According to Schooner Fishing from the Beginning of the Century, by Ephram Boudreau in Le Cahier, volume 5, number 2 January, February, March, 1974:
“World War I had called to arms the best men, and when the conflict ended, these men had lost their taste for the hard work at sea that had been practiced for centuries. They preferred to seek work in the cities, in Sydney, Halifax, New England but sometimes they went back to sea on the steamships where the conditions were not as hard. The owners of schooners had grown old and sold their ships.
“From then on all that could be seen on the harbour were small motor boats and along the shore near each home were the indispensable family boats which would continue to be used for some thirty years. But for all practical reasons the sailing ship had disappeared.”
The following names and their owners are taken from a private registry that recorded the end of the era of fishing schooners. An appointee, Élie C. Boucher, acted as Harbour Master for River Bourgeois. The title of this registry was “The Harbour Masters Record-Vessels, 1885-1918.” It was one of the descendants of Boucher, Bernard Samson of River Bourgeois, who keeps at his home this precious document.
Ellerie, 29 tons, Charles Boudro
Fannie R.C., 21 tons, Peter Boudro
Mary Moulton, 26 tons, Cèlestin Cordeau
Lumen, 19 tons, Urbain Sampson
Mary, 23 tons, Isaie Boudro
C P M, 21 tons, Désiré Bourque
Morning Star, 25 tons, Patrick Pâté
John Vincin, 16 tons, Anselme Sampson
Candid, 22 tons, Désiré Bourk
Ocean Bell, 19 tons, Charles Boudreau