Castlereagh, Fossil Flour Co. Ltd., and the Pole Railway
A little-known local history is that of the community of Castlereagh, or Castlereigh as it is known today. This community, located on top of Castlereagh Mountain, was settled by Ulster Irish in the early 1800s.
The land was within the Londonderry township limits and large plots had been granted to early Englishspeaking Settlers (ca.1760s1780s).
The community’s name was established in honor of Lord Castlereagh, Robert Stewart (1769-1822). Stewart’s father was the Earl of Londonderry, Ireland, the area from which the Irish Settlers had immigrated. Some of the early Settlers in Castlereagh were Daniel Wilson, Francis Fulton, John Fulton, Robert Starratt, and Robert Gamble.
Other families to settle in the area were Cooks, Grues, Robinsons, Mclaughlins, and Burnetts. One local historian, Lloyd K. Smith, who wrote letters to the Truro Daily News in the 1950s and 1960s, described the people in the community as “staunch liberals.”
Castlereagh was small but the community grew large enough that, by the 1890s, a church, a schoolhouse, and a post office had been established. Perhaps one of the most familiar settlers is John Gamble, who was granted a large tract of land including Gamble Lake. Records also indicate that a location known as “Robert Gamble’s Grove” was famous for its picnics.
People traveled far and wide to attend said picnics and it has been suggested that even Joseph Howe visited Robert Gamble’s Grove once.
Although only a few camps and sugar shacks exist in the area today, Gamble Lake remains as an echo of a community that once thrived in Castlereagh.
The Fossil Flour Co. Ltd. and the pole railway are perhaps what Castlereagh is most known for. A second lake, called Silica Lake, can be found near Gamble Lake. It is the lake from which the Bass River flows. Sediments at the bottom of Silica Lake contain diatomaceous earth, which is essentially soil that has been created from small fossilized aquatic organisms called diatoms.
This material contains silica, which is used in manufacturing many different things. During the 19th century, silica was primarily used for manufacturing gramophone records, silver polish, and rubber (including tires).
Silica was discovered in Castlereagh circa 1889. Shortly after, extraction and production began under the company Hill, Dill, and Corbett Co., which was based out of Great Village. This small operation only lasted a few years before a fire destroyed the silica plant in 1893. Later that year, American investors purchased the plant and it was rebuilt and renamed Fossil Flour Co. Ltd.
Operations under Fossil Flour Co. Ltd. began in 1895. The lake was dammed and drained before sediment was scraped from its bottom. The material was then transferred to kilns to remove impurities before it was cooled and packaged in 100-pound bags.
The packaged silica was transported to Bass River where the company had a warehouse for storage near the wharf. The product was loaded on ships and transported to New York where some of the primary customers included rubber manufacturers such as Goodyear and Goodrich. Employees lived in a nearby work camp in Castlereagh and it provided many jobs for locals.
Although product was initially transported by horse and cart from Castlereagh to Great Village under Hill, Dill and Corbett Co., a pole railway was constructed for the operations of Fossil Flour Co Ltd. (1895-1905) to transport silica off the mountain to the wharf at Saint’s Rest in Bass River.
The pole railway was certainly one of a kind. It covered a distance of ten miles and included three bridges and one trestle that was over 40 feet high. Initial startup costs were estimated at $25,000.
Railway tracks were constructed of spruce logs covered in bark. The tracks were 4 ¼ gauge and the logs ranged from six to eight inches in diameter.
The engine, which was built by Oxford Foundry, hauled four cars. Due to the steep grade of the railway (approximately eight per cent), it took about eight hours for the train to travel from the wharf in Bass River to Castlereagh. Despite the lengthy trek up the mountain, eager participants boarded the train for the journey on opening day in June 1895.
It’s said between 80 and 90 people rode the train to Castlereagh including the Truro Citizens Band. The pole railway also proved useful for transporting heavy machinery up the mountain. But it had its downsides – sand frequently had to be laid on the poles for extra traction on the steep inclines.
Sparks from the railway often set forest fires causing delays when the operators had to stop to extinguish fire.
The pole railway operated for 10 years, making one trip per day until a fire destroyed the silica mill in 1905. Some sources have speculated that the fire was suspicious as business was in decline due to U.S. duties.
Although it did employ many locals, it wasn’t considered an “economic success.” Indeed, the Colchester Historeum has correspondence received by Fossil Flour Co. Ltd. in 1905 from clients canceling their orders.
Following the fire in 1905, the silica operations were purchased by another company and renamed Oxford Tripoli Co. The plant was rebuilt and resumed operations in 1907 with a reported average production rate of 540 tons per year.
The pole railway, however, was no longer in use. A new road was constructed to Thomson Station near Oxford where product was transported by horse and wagon and shipped via the Intercolonial Railway.
Today, there is very little evidence of the community that once called Castlereagh home. The school, church, and silica workings are no longer standing and only a few camps remain amongst forests and blueberry fields. Nature has since reclaimed the area.
But Castlereagh’s history lives on in the memories of locals and historians.