Except for Folklore

Is folklore just fake history? We take on that question with guests Chelsea and Evan, who host It Came From The Maritimes podcast. We dig into Saint John legends: Sturgeon Man, Canada's first superhero; the Ug Wug, the sea monster of the Reversing Falls; and the ghosts of Black River Road and Ashburn Lake. Along the way, we look at why people tell these stories and what they reveal about the past. Folklore may not be fact, but it may be a gateway into history.

Chief Justice Putnam's Tomb, Loyalist Burial Ground, Saint John, New Brunswick. Circa 1910. Photographer Unknown. New Brunswick Museum Collection.

Sources:

• Goss, David (2023). The strange tale of the Sturgeon Man. Retrieved from https://saltscapes.com/the-strange-tale-of-the-sturgeon-man/

• Goss, David (2023). New Brunswick Cottage and Campfire Chillers. Saint John.

• Little, Peter. The Sad Tale of Maggie Vail. Retrieved from https://groups.google.com/g/alt.folklore.ghost-stories/c/ara9j3E-wyA?pli=1

• Wright, Julia (2020). How a sea monster myth was born in west Saint John. Retrieved from (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/reversing-falls-ug-wug-saint-john-harbour-sea-monster-1.5436095