Over the holiday I made time for a few days of research and I did solve a few mysteries which had puzzled me. Some of these findings will appear as Blog articles over the coming months. ...Until today I refrained from reviewing Saint John history books because no writer has yet focused on the vanished people and culture of the Lost Valley. It is true that several Saint John collectors of photographs and postcards have published competing renditions of an "illustrated history" of their entire city, but it would cost you a few hundred dollars to buy them all, and in truth they can be repetitive.
I now draw your attention to one of these books, but only because it uses (misuses actually) the history of the old Portland Valley neighborhoods. It's astounding just how many contortions a modern Saint Johner will go through in order to conceal the fact that there was once existed a city called Portland, N.B., which was adjacent to Saint John. In my opinion, Portland N.B. and its marvelous valley had an extraordinary history which set it apart, and it is a legacy which must be celebrated. Until they were absorbed in a civic amalgamation, Portland citizens often exceeded what was being accomplished by neighboring Saint John.
There is nothing wrong with simplifying history in order to make it accessible for a younger audience. Mr. Rogers did it. History is often packaged to serve the objective of promoting a needy city like Saint John, N.B., which wants those American tourists who cruise the coasts in floating buffet restaurants. Still, we have the right to expect more from a publication which is marketed as a history book. 
SAINT JOHN 1877 - 1980 by David Goss. This is a 128 "scrapbook" [His characterization] printed in 2009 by Arcadia. A sneak peek which includes 37 photos, is possible via Google Books and Arcadia (PREVIEW). The book can be ordered online at the discounted price of $16.49 from Chapters/Indigo.David Goss is not a trained historian, but years of exposure as a guest columnist for the TELEGRAPH JOURNAL built name recognition with Saint John residents. Marketing materials emphasize that he has assembled a score of these photo books, as well as several collections of stories. His readers trust him. I don't. I can''t. He is a dangerous popularizer, who should stick to his Walk N Talks for seniors and the unsuspecting American tourists who disembark from cruise ships for a few hectic hours of excursions around Saint John... before returning to eat.
What persuaded me to peruse SAINT JOHN 1877 - 1980 was its cover photograph. It is cut down from one of my favorite LOST VALLEY perspectives, a photograph made by Augustus Stoerger circa 1890. Even then the heavily industrialized, jobs rich Portland Valley received short shrift... Stoerger captioned his image "Mount Pleasant, Saint John, N.B." even though that swanky neighborhood is far distant. (Stoerger's un-cropped image I provide below for comparison purposes.)
Mr. Goss used only a few photographs of the Valley. That's O.K., but what annoys me is that he refused to acknowledge its existence as a geographic location and historical precinct. That part of the map is rendered "the central core" or "central Saint John" or "the central city core". Ludicrous. Mr. Goss is being willingly stupid or else he has an unstated agenda. It reminded me of an email exchange I had with a Saint John historian in 2007, shortly after launching the Lost Valley on Blogspot. He asked me to contribute to a project he was advancing, but I respectfully declined. Not long after he started his own heritage blog and whenever he had to refer to area destroyed by Urban Renewal in the 1970s, he wrote "the Valley" as if the term were somehow suspect. I wasn't wounded.
Mr. Goss is of the same mindset, although I can hope that on the day when the last tenement in the North End is quaking before the grinning blade of a CAT, he might find a tear for its fate. In referring to the bulldozing of decrepit housing on the north valley wall in the 1970s, Goss notes blandly, "They were removed. In the 1990s fine houses were built to take advantage of the great views of the harbour the area provides." It seems that Goss also subscribes to most of the myths which were propagated over the years and which were drilled into us in high school. "Advantages Saint John had have disappeared with Confederation favoring Central Canadian locations for factories and with changes in shipping trade due first to the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway and later with globalization of trade."
Not really. Saint John was founded by refugees who made the best of a tough situation. Many returned to the U.S. as soon as it was safe and by the 1840s it was clear that Saint John would never rival Boston or New York. It galled, but we did have a very good run, and for over a hundred years at that! My ancestors, scurvy but proud Irish Catholics, were not wanted by the entrenched Protestant merchant class of Saint John. Undaunted, they made the Portland Valley their home, and as an historian and descendant I will never break faith with the many lifetimes of labour they contributed. All physical evidence of their presence was bulldozed away but their spirits live on. As Mr. Goss is an Anglican these sentiments may leave him cold. It's amazing how two men born on the same shore can view the past so differently. Perhaps distance gives me perspective.
The Stoerger photo reappears on page 10 of the book. This is Dorchester Street looking down into the heart of the Portland Valley, and not "the central core" as Goss terms it. Moreover, when the railway "came to the valley" (oh, how thin and bereft of history is that phrase) it was the E.& N.A. R.W. - the European and North American Rail Way. The I.C.R.R., or Inter-Colonial Rail Road came later. What Mr. Goss fails to point out is the rich history of this now neglected piece of real estate. The original E & EA Station once stood on the spot which is the centre of this cropped image. Once, thousands of people gathered on this historic spot, to enjoy the spectacle of colourful parades which boiled out of the train station and up Dorchester Street into Saint John.
Looking down Dorchester Street, Saint John, into Portland Valley. This photo was made a few years after the old E. & N.A. train station was torn down. Mount Pleasant was part of the city of Portland, N.B. until it amalgamated with Saint John.
David Goss is a columnist for the TELEGRAPH JOURNAL of Saint John, N.B. He seems to produce one of these compact history books per year, each of which is promoted by the local newspaper. His next Arcadia book, EAST SAINT JOHN, appears in February.
6 comments:
This is a shamefully uninformed and libelous article about a man who has done so much for his community. The writings of Dave Goss have done more to further the interest in Saint John, Portland and Carleton’s past than any other local author or blogger.
I have published your opinion. Now I welcome your evidence. My review is critical, but it stands. If Mr. Goss is as dedicated to the past as I am, he welcomes criticism, as it might improve his game. You will notice I provided a link directly to where his book may be purchased.There may be Lost Valley readers who may wish to acquire it. I think if you check with Mr. Goss you will find that he welcomes the attention. Authors hunger for careful readers. I am that serious reader.
I found your review to be most critical and biased. This book was not intended to acknowledge the "existence as a geographic location and historical precinct" of the Lost Valley but to provide an opportunity to share a glimpse of Saint John in years past to a new generation and to provide cherished memories for those who had the oportunity to experience the city at that time.
I for one have enjoyed many of Mr. Goss' walks, programs and books and I am neither a "senior" nor an "unsuspecting American tourist."
I found your attack on Mr. Goss' religious Anglican roots to be completely off point and inappropriate! You should be ashamed of yourself!
If, as you have stated, you have found the authors from Saint John to have done a less than stellar job of accurately representing your cause, perhaps it is time to put your historical expertise to work and write what you deem a more accuarate reflection of the city's history.
CBigney - you are that very RARE netizen willing to sign his/her comments. BRAVO! (Of the million or more words I consigned to the Internet since 1994, 99% were over signature.)
First, I am not picking on Mr.Goss or Anglicans. I have given the church its due in this Blog... See Jim Irvine's article on Mission Church, as an example. (Published here DEC. 20, 2007)
As stated, I chose to review Mr. Goss because in his photo essay he
comments on the old Valley and the legacy of Urban Renewal...one of the principle themes of this History Blog since 2007. I tend to pull my punches here most of the time; as Mr Goss now markets himself as an authority, not a popularizer, he has to expect SOME critical response. As it was, I softened my blow with a bit of photo lampoonery.
Since Graduation from UNB 30 years ago I have kept up with what was published on S.J. history... the scholarly, the antiquarian and the commercial. I even contributed materially to a few, although never acknowledged by the authors.
I have formed the impression that history workers in Saint John refrain from being critical of each others production. True? Why? If the "experts" don't critique, who will? How do you, the consumer of books, know they are getting it right? You are only exposed to promotion in the local paper.
Finally, my article provided a link to the Goss page at Arcadia Publishing, and news that he has another SJ title coming. Possibly the last, as Arcadia told me they are not content with current profitability of distributing titles in Canada. I also understand that ARCADIA does not impose editorially on Mr. Goss and other SJ photo books, so I felt entitled to note in the review that I detect an agenda. That's valid criticism, yes?
What has always bothered me is why do the street names change from one side of Union Street to the other? (Ex. Coburg/Charlotte, Waterloo/Sydney, etc.. Obvious this was the union between two places. Was is Parrtown/no man's land? Or was it Saint John/Portland. There seems to be an area between Union and City Road/Railway Tracks, from the shore to Marsh Creek, which nobody wants to name. The Irish and other immigrants were huddled into this area, making it the poorest of the city. Any answer?
Janette Bradley Lachance
UNION STREET is a reminder of the Acts of Union, with Scotland (1707) and Ireland (1800), which created the Kingdom of England, Scotland and Ireland. Originally Union Street was the northern boundary of the young city. Beyond were the great tracts of privately owned land which extended all the way to the Kennebecasis River.
Later, City Road became the boundary between Saint John and Portland. All the extensions which developed and which connected "uptown" streets to the Railway station and factories in the Valley, were dubbed with new names which had significance at the time they were put in.
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