New France, Digby County, Nova Scotia

New France is the site of a settlement located in Digby County in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.

They dammed the Silver River to power a sawmill and built a pole railway to Weymouth 17 miles (27 km) away, from where the lumber was shipped to market.

Two dams were built of logs and gravel to raise the level of Little Tusket Lake and channel the water flow to the Silver River.

The mill at New France exported maple, oak, beech and birch lumber for sale for flooring and doors, as well as red spruce and balsam fir for framing, and white pine for ships' masts.

The mill could saw and trim 15,000 board feet (35 cubic metres) of lumber in a single day, and much of the product was sold to South America and England.

The Stehelin family entertained friends and business colleagues from around the world with dinners, dances, hunting and skating.

In its short history it had a major impact on the culture of southwestern Nova Scotia, including a role in the development of today's Université Sainte-Anne.