Stellarton is a town in the province of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, Canada. It is adjacent and to the south of the larger town of New Glasgow. In pioneer times the area was called Coal Mines Station, and from 1833 until 1889, it was known as Albion Mines. The town was incorporated as Stellarton in 1889 and owes its name to a specific type of torbanite which came to be known as "stellarite" because of the "stars of fire" given off by its sparky flame.

History

In the 1790s, coal quickly became a key focus of the local economy. The Foord coal seam (from which the main street of Stellarton derives its name) runs through most of the town and is part of the greater Stellarton Basin/Pictou Coalfield. As part of an area recognized by geologists for its unique

oil shale Oil shale is an organic-rich Granularity, fine-grained sedimentary rock containing kerogen (a solid mixture of Organic compound, organic chemical compounds) from which liquid hydrocarbons can be produced. In addition to kerogen, general compos ...

s and thick coal seams, the Foord seam is said to be the thickest in the world, with estimate of coal seams being as thick as . In the 1820s, the mines were taken over by the General Mining Association, which intensified production with new technology, including the first steam engine in Nova Scotia for pumping and in 1839 ''Samson'', the oldest railway locomotive in Canada which carried coal to waiting ships.“The Saga Of The Samson: Canada's Oldest Locomotive” ''Pictou County Historical Society'' (1968) digitized by Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library
/ref> Samson is now preserved at the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry in Stellarton.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Stellarton had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Major businesses

The town is still home to coal mining operations. The Stellarton Surface Coal Mine has been operated by Pioneer Coal since 1980. The Canadian grocery chain

Sobeys Sobeys Inc. is a national supermarket chain in Canada with over 1,500 stores operating under a variety of banners. Headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, it operates stores in all ten provinces and accumulated sales of more than C$25.1 bil ...

is based out of Stellarton, and its corporate offices and grocery subsidiaries provides a fair percentage of the town's employment. Sobeys subsidiaries based in Stellarton include Big 8 Beverages, TRA Cash and Carry, Eastern Sign-Print and Regional Distribution Centre. A former local business was the Clairtone factory, founded by Peter Munk and

David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter who is a member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined in 1967, shortly before the departure of the founder member Syd Barrett. By the early 1980s, Pink F ...

with the encouragement of local businessman and politician Frank H. Sobey. MuseumofIndustry-winter

Attractions

Stellarton is home to the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry, part of the Nova Scotia Museum system. Stellarton is noted for its painted fire hydrants, each adorned with a costumed representative of a town inhabitant or profession.

Stellarton Memorial Ice Rink

The Stellarton Memorial Ice Rink was constructed in 1945 to remember the soldiers that died in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It is still standing today but has not been used for several years.

Notable people

* James Peter Robertson (1883–1917), recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

* Leo McKay Jr. (born 1964), novelist * Blayre Turnbull (born 1993), Olympic gold and silver medalist in ice hockey, forward and captain for the Toronto Sceptres, and member of the

Canada women's national ice hockey team The Canadian women's national ice hockey team is the ice hockey team representing Canada in women's hockey. The team is overseen by Hockey Canada, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and participates in international competitions ...

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References

External links

Town of Stellarton
{{Authority control Communities in Pictou County Towns in Nova Scotia Mining communities in Nova Scotia