Electric City,
New France

In its day the settlement of New France attracted provincial and international attention. The Stehelin family, which founded New France, were aristocrats who seemed determined to live in the manner to which they were accustomed, even in the wilderness of Nova Scotia at the turn of the century. The nearest community was Weymouth, 17 miles away, or a day of travel on very rough roads. The settlement was set up in a square with electric street lights and large buildings including the Stehelin mansion, a wine cellar, a chapel, bunkhouses and a cookhouse for the loggers. The Weymouth and New France Railroad, when it was completed in 1898, carried passengers in its specially outfitted caboose called "Caribou". Travel between the coast and the "Electric City" was more pleasurable, in the Caribou. The Stehelin family entertained friends and business associates from around the world with formal dinners, dances and activities such as hunting and ice-sailing and skating on the lakes. New France was a blend of European French, Acadian, Black and Micmac cultures. In its short history it had a major impact on the culture of southwestern Nova Scotia, including a role in the development of the Université Ste.-Anne.