The Jacksonville deposits near Woodstock were developed first, and ore treated at a blast furnace 5 kilometers to the southeast on the Saint John River around 1848. Several charcoal burners were also constructed. Pig iron was produced sporadically until 1884, when operations were finally suspended. In 1953, Stratmat Ltd. carried out research on an electric-reduction process to produce metallic iron and ferromanganese. The technical feasibility of the Udy process was confirmed; however, the high energy costs were prohibitive. In the early 1970's, Mandate Refining Ltd. initiated work on the co-roasting of pyrite tailings from the province's base metal ores and iron-manganese from Woodstock. Soluble iron and manganese sulfates were produced and the base metal content of the tailings recovered by electrolysis. Some research was initiated recently to test the application of sulfation roast-leach technology to the Woodstock ores. Preliminary results were encouraging. Any future development of the Woodstock deposits will depend mainly on the development of a new technically and economically acceptable process to produce marketable products. -- AATA