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1315 UNION ST |
Nova Scotia Tourism Region : Eastern Shore
Description From Owner:
- Gut of Canso: The Strait of Canso (also Gut of Canso or Canso Strait, also called Straits of Canceau or Canseaux until the early 20th century), is a strait located in the province of Nova Scotia Canada. It divides the Nova Scotia peninsula from C. Breton
- It is a long thin channel approximately 27 kilometres long and averaging 3 kilometers wide (1 km at its narrowest).
- The strait connects Chedabucto Bay on the Atlantic Ocean to St. George's Bay on the Northumberland Strait, a sub basin of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
- The strait is extremely deep (200+ feet) with two major communities at Port Hawkesbury on the eastern side facing Mulgrave on the western side, both ports. The strait is crossed by the Canso Causeway for vehicular and rail traffic, opened in 1955.
- The Canso Canal allows ships to pass through the causeway, and this can accommodate any vessel capable of transiting the St. Lawrence Seaway.
- An account of early settlement in the area is given in the letters of local resident Henry Nicholas Paint (1830-1921), Member of Parliament for Richmond county and merchant,
- whose father Nicholas secured valuable land grants and settled in a stone-built house at Belle Vue in 1817.
- Port Hawkesbury, at first known as Ship harbour, emerged as a shipbuilding and boatbuilding port on the Strait in the 19th century with firms such as H.W. Embree and Sons producing distinctive fishing boats that came to be known as 'Canso Boats' ,
- after the Strait.
- The Canso Causeway: Cape Breton Island really was an island...right up until 1955.
- That's when the Canso Causeway opened, a massive engineering feat that allows rail and vehicular traffic to travel to and from the 'island,' and shipping to continue using the Strait of Canso.
- The causeway is almost 2 km in length (7,000 feet) and 24.3 metres (80 feet) wide at the surface. Below water level-66 metres (217 feet) at some points, the causeway's width is 262 metres (860 feet).
- It took three years to build the causeway at a cost of $23 million. The rock to build it was blasted from quarries at Cape Porcupine, all 10,092,000 tons of it.
- About 98,000 cubic yards of concrete was used to build the canal through the causeway. A lock in the canal works as a leveller since water levels on each side of the causeway vary with the winds and tides.
- With permission from 'Nova Scotia Place Names' David E. Scott 2015 & From: guyscogene.net
This town is located on Canso Harbour on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia.
Its name is probably a variation of the Indian name, Kamsok, "opposite a high bluff. or high banks opposite." Another explanation is that it was derived, from the Spanish word "Ganso," a goose, applied because of the large flocks of wild geese here in the Spring.
French fishermen may have pursued their occupation in these waters as early as 1504. The Baron De Lery left France in 1518 intending to make a settlement in Acadia.
He landed here and drew a map of the harbour, then when the weather turned cold he left some cattle and departed for home.
In 1604, Captains du Pont and Morel, members of DeMont''''s expedition discovered four Basque ships bartering with the natives when. they landed here.
Some of Poutrincourt''''s men landed at Canso in July, 1606, to take on wood and water. In the 1600''''s the French used it as a base for fishing operations.
On August 17, 1720, an Indian raid left four Englishmen dead and the stores plundered. A company of troops under the command of Major Lawrence Armstrong was sent from Annapolis Royal to Canso in November, 1720.
By August, 1721 a few inhabitants had settled on a nearby eminence. Another Indian outbreak occurred on July, 14, 1721. and six people were killed.
Forty-nine families were settled here by September 5, 1725. By October, 1729, fifteen hundred to two thousand hands were employed in curing and loading fish for several markets.
A blockhouse was built on Canso Hill by Edward How in 1735. This, along with several houses, a store, three wharves, store rooms, and fish rooms, was destroyed by a French invasion in 1744.
In April, 1745, the fleet from New England on its way to attack Louisburg, assembled in the harbour and a blockhouse was built by the men. It was mostly completed by April 10 and was named Fort Prince William in honor of the Prince.
In July, 1764, a town plot was laid out south of the present town and named "Wilmot," in honor of Col. Montague Wilmot. During the American Revolution, privateers did considerable damage to the settlement and by January, 1813, there were only six families in residence.
In 1814 a few families arrived and located at the Tickle. The Wilmot town plot remained almost a wilderness until 1821 when a few houses and stores began to be erected within it. By 1844 there were two hundred and fifty families resident in Wilmot townships.
All Saints Anglican Church was erected on the road to Hazel Hill in 1884-85, opened December 25, 1885, and consecrated May 20, 1889.
A Baptist church was built in 1841 and replaced by a new church building in the late 1880''''s.
Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Church was begun in December, 1885, formally opened September 6, 1891.
It replaced a chapel which had been erected m the 1840''''s and which had been blown off its foundations in the great storm of 1873. A congregational meeting house was completed in 1824.
A Methodist Church was built in 1851, dedicated August 15, 1852.1 A new Methodist Church was dedicated June 12, 1890. It became St. Paul''''s United.
Mr. Peden was appointed S. P. G. schoolmaster here in 1736 and taught until 1743. A public school-house was put up m 1847. New school-houses were erected at Cape Canso in 1866 and 1878.
The school-house at the Tickle burned down on February 6, 1944, and the new school built to replace it was opened the following February. A new ten room school at Canso was occupied on January 22, 1951, officially opened January 18, 1952.
A postal way office was established in 1834. In 1853 a Post Office was set up. A brick post office and customs house was built prior to 1926. Eastern Memorial hospital was opened May 24, 1948.
A lighthouse was built on Cranberry Island in 1817-1818. It burned down in October, 1881, and was replaced by a new lighthouse by December, 1883. A small lighthouse was placed on Harts Island in 1872.
Herperius Temperance Hall was still being constructed in 1877.
Between 1881 and 1894 several transatlantic cables were landed here and Canso became one of the main communications links between North America and Europe.
The Canso Breeze was begun in the mid-eighteen nineties and underwent several changes of name: Breeze and Antigonish-Guysborough County Advocate, Breeze and Guysboro County Advocate, Guysborough County Advocate and Canso Breeze, Guysborough. Times and Canso News.
In 1835 a riot between Irish Catholics and Orangemen upset the peace of the village.
The great storm of 1873 demolished many wharves and stores, Wilmot Hall, a Baptist Church on the road to Crow Harbour and many vessels. It lifted the Catholic Church off its foundations.
Canso was incorporated as a town in May, 1901.
Fishing is the main industry. An ice merchandising business was begun by James Hart in 1867. Soon after a lobster canning factory was established under the management of Elfred Ogden.
The A. N. Whitman frozen bait storage plant was built about 1903-1905. In 1910 the Whitman Fish Company sold out to Maritime Fish Corporation.
The Robinson glue factory was erected in 1910. British Columbia Packers Ltd. Plant was purchased by Acadia Fishers Ltd. In 1963.
In August, 1965, construction was nearly completed on the first section of the new Acadia Fisheries plant. The plant burned down on February 22, 1966.
Population in 1961 was 1151.
Some authorities say this word was derived from the name of a French navigator, Canse, and "eau" (water). Others say that the French spelling "Campseau" suggests that the Harbour was so called because it was a common rendezvous for vessels.
Haliburton says: "It is said that the derivation of the word "Canso" is from the Spanish "Ganso" a goose, a name given to it on account of the immense flocks of geese then seen there."
Dr Rand states it is from the Indian word "Kamsok," meaning "opposite the lofty cliffs." This would appear to be the proper derivation of the name as the Indians called White Head nearby "Kamsokootc" meaning "the little place opposite the lofty cliffs."
In 1765 the town was known as Wilmot Town, so named in honor of Montague Wilmot, Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia at that time.
The strait was at one time called "straits of Fronsac" also at one time called by the French "Passage du Glas."
Canso Township was one of the four sub-divisions of the northwestern part of Cape Breton Island, formed in 1828.
The Micmac Indians sometimes applied the name "Taooogunak" to the Gut of Canso. This name appears to particularly apply to the passage, and it is the general Micmac word for any passage.
From: guyscogene.net
Address of this page: http://ns.ruralroutes.com/Canso
