Republic of Madawaska

On the border between New Brunswick, Quebec and Maine, The Republic of Madawaska nestles in the comfort of the Appalchians that skirt the picturesque Saint John River Valley. Here, at all times, a warm welcome awaits.

A Republic? Yes! Legendary? True. But a Republic none the less,at a crossroads between history, inhabitancy and geography. Long ago, at the very beginning, the Maliseets alone lived on both side of the Saint John River Valley which they called Madawaska, ''Land of the porcupines''.

During those years of territorial disputes, a legend says that a Madawaska settler, in exasperation one day, retorted to a French Inspector : ''I am a citizen of the Republic of Madawaska!'' And so was coined the term Republic of Madawaska. In the twenties and thirties, during a session of the Legislative Assembly in Fredericton, a Member of Parliament for Madawaska used the same term in reference to his constituents.

In 1949, two upstanding Edmundstonians implemented the Republic of Madawaska as a concept to make universally known the distinctive character of the region. Edmundston became the capital of the Republic. They further enhanced their project with a coat of arms, a flag and the ''Order of the Knights of the Republic'' of which the mayor of Edmundston is the president.

Ever since, it is with a smile and a handshake that the inhabitants of Madawaska, familiarly identified as Brayons, personiy the uniqueness of their heritage in ''La République du Madawaska''.