Our story

Black Rapids Retreat, now a popular destination for salmon fishing on the Miramichi River, began as an outfitter, offering equipment and supplies for outdoor enthusiasts.

Built in the 1980s, the lodge, called Miramichi Black Rapids after the ripply-water area on the river, was the dream of Georges Purtis, brother to the current caretaker of the property. 

Georges grew up in Blackville and admired the Miramichi River while toting spring water to his homestead on a daily basis. He dreamed of one day building a cottage near the river.

When inquiring about land from a neighbour, Foster Gordon from Maine USA, Georges was told that Foster’s father could possibly parcel some land on which he could build his vision. This came to pass, and in doing so, Foster and Georges became close friends. Together the men created the first lodge called Miramichi Black Rapids and outfitted adventurers for over 30 years. 

In the early 1990s, a second lodge was constructed on the property.

Around 2005-2006 the property, with both lodges, was purchased by a company called Westervelt from Alabama, USA. Renovations took place, including lifting the lodge to add a basement space, new bathrooms in each room, and a new roof.

At one point in the property’s history, golfer Jack Nicklaus and his wife Barbara were considering purchasing the lodges. Upon their visit to the property Barbara walked a little too close to the edge of the water and fell in. Because of the mishap, Jack was unable to convince his wife to buy it, and was left up for sale.

It was then sold to Ricky Coté, Armand Dionne, Marc Daoust, Danny King, Rino Savoie, Jeremy McCabe and Louis Ouellette, in 2023 and renamed Black Rapids Retreat. The team made further renovations, mainly to the second lodge. 

Darryl Purtis, brother to Georges, has been taking care of groundskeeping at the lodges for over 50 years. He still resides approximately 1,000 feet away from where his brother achieved his dream. In November 2020, Georges has since passed away at the age of 74, but his dream lives on with the lodges at Black Rapids Retreat.