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Roberts Arm is the home of
Cressie, the lake monster that lurks beneath the
waters of beautiful Crescent lake. Roberts Arm started as a logging community
in the mid 1800's and since that time logging in some form as been our main
industry. Early logging was to cut timber for fishing schooners' planks. This
was followed by the export logging operations by Bowaters
Ltd. from tommy's Arm to Europe. Export wood was shipped from here from the
late 1930's until 1971 when the provincial government cut off exporting NL
wood. The export woods operations was followed by contractors cutting for the
pulp and paper mills at Stephenville and Corner Brook and is still carried
out on a small scale for the mill at Corner Brook. Around the early 20th
century a small copper mine owned by captain Philip Cleary operated for a
short time. Mining is still one of the main occupations of a significant
number of people. Miners work at the mine in Millertown
and at other mines all over Canada. A number of residents have been employed
in the fishery, construction industry and the service industry.
During the 1960's Roberts Arm was designated as a growth centre by the
Provincial government and the population grew to approximately 1200. After
the downturns in the logging and fishing industries the population begin to
decrease with our migration to other provinces to find employment. Today the
population is just over 800 and is remaining stable. During the 1960's and
1970's Roberts Arm acquired most of the services found in a modern community
such as electricity, water and sewer, banking, ambulance, Public Library,
paved roads and a Medical clinic.
Like many rural NL towns, our population is aging with the median population
age now over 50 and we have fewer and fewer children each year. In 2010
Roberts Arm will celebrate the 50th anniversary of municipal government in
the town. We have three churches in town The United Church, the Pentecostal
and the Salvation Army. We have one of the most beautiful hiking and
adventure trails in central NL, the Hazelnut Hiking and Adventure Trail which
takes hikers some 10 km around Crescent lake. We also have a fitness centre
that is second to none, a Seniors' Home, Affordable Housing units, a
Community Centre and a tourism park which is under development.
Roberts Arm is a MUST town for tourists to visit and a place to consider for
retirement.
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