2. Clair and Fort Kent (Maine)

The municipality of Clair is located on the Canadian side of the St. John River facing the town of Fort Kent, Maine, near the mouth of Fish River. This explains why this place was at first called the Décharge (the Outlet). These two municipalities developed around the middle of the 19th century. At first, Clair was part of Saint-François parish and in 1885 its address was Middle St. Francis. In 1890, Thomas Clair gave the Témiscouata railway company passage rights on his land as well as the permission to build a train station. After 1893, the place was called Clair’s. Around 1909, the Bangor and Aroostook railroad linked Fort Kent to the rest of Maine. During the summer, the people of the region farmed their land but in the winter, many went to work in the lumber camps. In order to cross the river, a ferry and a foot bridge were used well before the construction of the International bridge, in 1929. It greatly improved communications between Maine and New Brunswick. The town of Clair was incorporated in 1966.