Ole Larsen's Miramichi: A Photographic Odyssey

Richard Wilbur is the author of The Rise of French New Brunswick and the
co-author of Silver Harvest: The Fundy Weirmen’s Story.

The author, a longtime teacher and Miramichi native, sifted through more
than 2000 plate glass negatives and prints of professional photographer
Ole Larsen’s work. The result of Nowlan’s efforts is a social
history gem that captures the life and times of communities that in some
respects have not changed. Many of the handsome buildings depicted in
the photos still line the main streets of Chatham and Newcastle (now the
combined city of Miramichi), and even though the labor-intensive
wood-harvesting industry has been mechanized, the forests lining each
side of the Miramichi are still providing the raw material for modern
pulp and paper mills.

Nowlan’s introduction, which focuses on Larsen, is followed by nine
chapters. The images begin with vivid shots of lumbermen and their
horses working deep in the forests and end with a potpourri of scenes
that “illustrates the true eclecticism of the photographer/artist who
often cast his camera lens in all directions.” In between are chapters
with photographs depicting wooden ships, churches, businesses that
surrendered to foreign-owned malls, and various recreational activities.
Nowlan’s succinct photo captions are the perfect accompaniment to
Larsen’s visual artistry.