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9981 GRENVILLE ST |
Nova Scotia Tourism Region : Cape Breton Island
Description From Owner:
- It was founded as the Portuguese fishing station San Pedro in 1521. The Aboriginal people called it Baslovaakade, similar to the Mi'kmaw name for Cape Traverse in PEI, which was Buslooakade, ‘to travel by water’ ‘or the landing place.
- As St. Peters was the resting place and portage for the Aboriginal people on their travels from the lakes to the ocean, this may have been the same word, or a slight variation of it.
- Adventurer Nicolas Denys (1598-1688) established a fishing and trading post here in 1650.
- Soldiers sent by Mme. d'Aulnay captured this post in 1651 and took Denys as a prisoner to Quebec, where he was soon released and returned to what was then called Sainte-Pierre.
- In 1653, La Rochelle merchant Emmanuel Le Borgne, who had claimed d’Aulnay's rights until his claim against the estate was satisfied, captured Denys, seized his goods and took him prisoner to Port Royal.
- After his release, Denys went to France and then returned to reestablish his post. During the winter of 1668–69, his house and establishment were destroyed by fire.
- In 1713 the French named the place Port Toulouse in honour of Comte de Toulouse, the illegitimate son of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan.
- During the first Siege of Louisbourg, Port Toulouse was plundered, and by the end of the Seven Years' War it was without settlers.
- Subsequently, Loyalists and others settled here. Lt. Col. William Macarmich who became Lt.Gov. of Cape Breton in 1787 took an interest in a scheme for fortifying the whole island.
- He proposed that Mount Grenville should be the chief post of defence. Accordingly Fort Dorchester, a square redoubt with fifteen embrasures, a guard house and magazine were built under the direction of Lt.-Col. George between 1793–94.
- Lack of funds forced Macarmick to withdraw Moore in 1794 and after Macarmick left Cape Breton in 1797, interest in Fort Dorchester waned. St. Peters Canal was begun in 1854 and opened to public traffic in 1869.
- With permission from 'Nova Scotia Place Names' David E. Scott 2015
Address of this page: http://ns.ruralroutes.com/StPetersNS
