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Nova Scotia Tourism Region : Yarmouth and Acadian Shores
Description From Owner:
- Outer Bald Tusket Island: THE PRINCIPALITY OF OUTER BALDONIA In 1949, Russell M. Arundel of Long Island, NY, bought Outer Bald Tusket Island for $750. He renamed it Outer Baldonia and declared it an independent principality of sport fishermen.
- He named himself the ruling Prince of Princes and gave titles to his buddies, relative to their prowess, with fishing rod and reel.
- Despite a national flag consisting of a tuna tail in a circle of white on a sea green background and stationery bearing the Great Seal of the Prince of Princes, the only institution to officially recognize OB was the Washington, D.C., phone directory.
- Arundel talked Rand McNally into putting Outer Baldonia on a map and in a confidential letter in 1951 revealed that all representatives of the Soviet Union and China had been fed to the tuna.
- In 1952 the Moscow Literary Gazette attacked Outer Baldonia as an imperialistic stronghold protected by Wall Street. Actually, the island's only residents have ever been a herd of wild sheep and some seals.
- The Russian attack was picked up by the media whereupon the Royal Yacht Club of Halifax offered to contribute all its vessels for the protection of Outer Baldonia.
- One club member was a member of the Nova Scotia Legislature and made a speech urging the government to legally recognize the independence of the island, which it did, on condition Baldonians continued to pay real estate taxes to the Nova Scotia treasury.
- At this point both the United States and Canada got into the act, each issuing a White Paper 'with tongue deeply in cheek,' ridiculing Russia for seriously and publicly attacking an institution created in pure fun.
- The Prince was not impressed by this: 'We didn't ask the United States to recognize our independence. We haven't recognized their independence.'
- Each year the Baldonians conducted their own spoof of the International Tuna Cup Match with prizes for the ugliest fish, the most beautiful, the smallest and the most intelligent-looking.
- When the fun was over, Arundel deeded the 'principality' to conservation interests and today the Nova Scotia Bird Society has jurisdiction over the island.
- On maps of the 1700s this island was identified as Isle Massacre, Massacre Island.' Legend has it that there is a connection between this island and Oak Island in Lunenburg County.
- Murder Island: In Yarmouth County, one of the 365 islands of the Tusket Archipelago off Pinkney's Point, 29 km S of Yarmouth.
- It is said that following construction of the mysterious subterranean passages at Oak Island, the workers were taken to this secluded location and killed to protect Oak Island's secrets.
- Human remains have frequently been found here. In Queens County there is a Massacre Island and in Lunenburg County there is a Murderers Island.
- With permission from 'Nova Scotia Place Names' David E. Scott 2015
Address of this page: http://ns.ruralroutes.com/DeepCoveIsland