Editing Campbellton, New Brunswick (section)

===From settlement to town===

Considered the founder of Restigouche County, Robert Ferguson established his control over the development of northern New Brunswick during the first half of the 19th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/ferguson_robert_8E.html |title=Ferguson, Robert |website=Dictionary of Canadian Biography |access-date=August 21, 2019}}</ref> In 1803, Ferguson inherited his brother's business and quickly became the largest merchant and exporter of fish in Restigouche. Until the 1840s, he shipped between 1,200 and 1,400 barrels of salted salmon per year. He became the most important landowner in the region. He also operated a flour mill and a sawmill and exported hewn wood. He even constructed his own boats in the village that now bears the name of [[Atholville]]. In 1812, he built an impressive residence there that he named Athol House in memory of [[Atholl|his native region of Scotland]].

In 1875, the advent of the [[Intercolonial Railway]], and a permanent railway station in 1876, had a strong impact on Campbellton. Its population increased rapidly, reaching 1,800 in 1891,<ref name="campbellton.org">{{cite web |title=Visitors Guide: Historical Evolution of the Settlement|url=http://www.campbellton.org/camp2/Historyofthecity.asp |publisher=City of Campbellton |access-date=August 21, 2019}}
</ref> and development of the settlement shifted westward. In 1889, Campbellton was incorporated as a [[town]], and in the late 1880s, an [[hospital|Hôtel Dieu]] was founded by the [[Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph]], an order that established hospitals and schools in many towns in Canada.