Footage of classic New Brunswick road trips take people down memory lane
Now you can see what some routes looked like between 1969 and 1975, thanks to the work of provincial archivist Rob Gemell.
Residents of New Brunswick spend considerable time on the road, often traveling between towns, cities, and various communities. Now, they have a unique opportunity to see how some of these routes appeared between 1969 and 1975, thanks to the efforts of provincial archivist Rob Gemell.
The footage Gemell has shared was originally created as part of the government’s road maintenance program. "They used this as an inexpensive way to survey the roads," Gemell explained, noting that, rather than sending workers out to physically inspect roads across the province, officials could review the films to assess road conditions. This approach saved significant travel time, as officials could observe a route's condition from the footage rather than making lengthy trips to inspect each area in person.
When Gemell first uploaded these videos to YouTube, he didn’t expect much interest. However, New Brunswick residents began sharing screenshots from the footage on local Facebook groups, where the posts quickly gained popularity. Gemell still has hundreds of videos left to process and plans to upload even more in the future.
