Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada
NASA landsat photo of Cape Breton Island
'Cape Breton Island' (
French: ''île du Cap-Breton'' - formely ''île Royale'',
Scottish Gaelic: ''Eilean Cheap Breatuinn'',
MÃkmaq: ''Únamakika'', simply: ''Cape Breton'') is an
island on the
Atlantic coast of
North America. It likely corresponds to the European word "Breton", referring to
Brittany.
Cape Breton Island is part of the province of
Nova Scotia,
Canada, although physically separated from the
Nova Scotia peninsula by the
Strait of Canso, it is artificially connected to mainland North America by the
Canso Causeway. The island is located east-northeast of the mainland with its northern and western
coasts fronting on the
Gulf of St. Lawrence; its western coast also forming the eastern limits of the
Northumberland Strait. The eastern and southern coasts front the Atlantic Ocean; its eastern coast also forming the western limits of the
Cabot Strait. Its landmass slopes upward from south to north, culminating in the
highlands of its northern cape. A saltwater estuary,
Bras d'Or Lake, dominates the centre of the island.
The island is divided into four of Nova Scotia's eighteen counties:
Cape Breton,
Inverness,
Richmond, and
Victoria. Their total population as of the
2001 census numbered 147,454 "Cape Bretoners"; this is approximately 16% of the provincial population. Cape Breton Island has experienced a decline in population of approximately 6.8% since the previous census in
1996. Approximately 72% of the island's population is located in the
Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) which includes all of
Cape Breton County and is often referred to as
Industrial Cape Breton, given the history of
coal mining and steel manufacturing in this area.
The island contains five
reserves of the
Mi'kmaq Nation, these being:
Eskasoni,
Membertou,
Wagmatcook,
We'kopaq/Waycobah, and
Potlotek/Chapel Island. Eskasoni is the largest in both population and land area.
History
A bulk carrier in the
Strait of Canso docked at the Martin Marietta Materials quarry located at Cape Porcupine. The photo is taken from Cape Breton side of the
Canso Causeway.
Cape Breton Island's first residents were likely
Maritime Archaic Indians, ancestors of the
Mi'kmaq Nation, who later inhabited the island at the time of European discovery.
Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) reportedly visited the island in 1497 to become the first
Renaissance European explorer to visit present-day Canada. However, historians are unclear as to whether Cabot first visited
Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island. This discovery is commemorated by Cape Breton's
Cabot Trail.
A fishing colony was established on the island about 1522 by the Portuguese under
João Alvares Fagundes. As many as 200 settlers lived in the nameless village in what is now present day Ingonish on the island's northwestern peninsula. It is unknown as to the fate of the colony but it is mentioned as late as 1570.
On
February 8,
1631,
Charles I granted Cape Breton Island to Robert Gordon of Lochinvar and his son Robert.
The island saw active settlement by
France with the island being included in the colony of
Acadia. A French
garrison was established in the central eastern part at
Ste-Anne in the early
18th century, before relocating to a much larger fortification at
Louisbourg to improve defences at the entrance to the
Gulf of St. Lawrence and defend France's fishing fleet on the
Grand Banks. The French named the island "ÃŽle Royale." It remained part of
colonial France until it was ceded to the
Britain under the
Treaty of Paris in
1763. Britain merged the island with its adjacent colony of Nova Scotia (present day peninsular Nova Scotia and
New Brunswick).
Some of the first British-sanctioned settlers to the island following the
Seven Years' War were
Irish, although upon settlement, they merged with local French communities to form a culture rich in both music and tradition. From 1763 to 1784 the island was administratively part of the colony of
Nova Scotia and governed from
Halifax.
The first permanently settled
Scottish community on Cape Breton Island was
Judique, settled in 1775 by Michael Mor MacDonald. He spent his first winter using his upside-down boat for shelter, which is reflected in the architecture of the village's Community Centre. He composed a song about the area called "O's alainn an t-aite" , or 'Fair is the Place.
In
1784, Britain split the colony of Nova Scotia into three separate colonies: New Brunswick, Cape Breton Island, and present-day peninsular Nova Scotia, in addition to the adjacent colonies of
Prince Edward Island and
Newfoundland. The colony of Cape Breton Island had its capital at
Sydney on its namesake harbour fronting on Spanish Bay and the
Cabot Strait. Its first Lieutenant-Governor was
Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres (1784–1787) and his successor was
William Macarmick (1787).
An order forbidding the granting of land in Cape Breton, issued in 1763, was removed in 1784. The mineral rights to the island were given over to the Crown by an order-in-council. The British government had intended that the Crown take over the operation of the mines when Cape Breton was made a colony, but this was never done, probably because of the rehabilitation cost of the mines. The mines were in a neglected state, caused by careless operations dating back at least to the time of the final fall of Louisbourg.
In 1820, the colony of Cape Breton Island was merged for the second time with Nova Scotia, this being present-day peninsular Nova Scotia. This development is one of the factors which led to large-scale industrial development in the Sydney Coal Field of eastern Cape Breton County (see
Industrial Cape Breton). By the late 19th century, as a result of the faster shipping, expanding fishery and industrialization of the island, exchanges of people between the island of
Newfoundland and Cape Breton increased beginning a cultural exchange that continues to this day.
During the first half of the
19th century, Cape Breton Island experienced an influx of
Highland Scots numbering approximately 50,000 as a result of the
Highland Clearances. Today, the descendants of the Highland Scots dominate Cape Breton Island's culture, particularly in rural communities. To this day
Gaelic is still the first language of a number of elderly Cape Bretoners. A campaign by the provincial government during the 19th and early
20th centuries aimed to eradicate the use of Gaelic among school children. The growing influence of English-dominated media from outside the Scottish communities saw the use of this language erode quickly during the
20th century. Many of the Scots who immigrated there were either Roman Catholics or Presbyterians.
Tourism promotions beginning in the
1950s recognized the importance of the Scottish culture to the province, and the provincial government started encouraging the use of Gaelic once again. The establishment of funding for the
Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts and formal Gaelic language
instruction in public schools are intended to address the near-loss of this culture to English
assimilation.
The turn of the
20th century saw Cape Breton Island at the forefront of scientific achievement with the now-famous activities launched by inventors
Alexander Graham Bell and
Guglielmo Marconi.
Following his successful invention of the
telephone and being relatively wealthy, Bell acquired land near
Baddeck in
1885, largely due to surroundings reminiscent of his early years in
Scotland. He established a summer estate complete with research laboratories, working with deaf people - including
Helen Keller - and continued to invent. Baddeck would be the site of his experiments with
hydrofoil technologies as well as the
Aerial Experiment Association, financed by his wife, which saw the first powered flight in the
British Empire when the
AEA ''Silver Dart'' took off from the ice-covered waters of
Bras d'Or Lake. Bell also built the forerunner to the
iron lung and he experimented with breeding sheep.
Marconi's contributions to Cape Breton Island were somewhat less than Bell's as he merely used the island's geography to his advantage in transmitting the first trans-
Atlantic radio message from a station constructed at Table Head in
Glace Bay to a receiving station at
Poldhu in
Cornwall,
England.
Geography
The Sydney waterfront, focal point of the largest population centre on Cape Breton Island.
The island measures 10,311 km² in area (3,981 square
miles), making it the
75th largest island in the world and
Canada's 18th largest island. Cape Breton Island is composed mainly of
rocky shores, rolling
farmland,
glacial valleys, barren
headlands,
mountains,
woods and
plateaus. Geological evidence suggests that at least part of the island was originally joined with present-day
Scotland and
Norway, now separated by millions of years of
continental drift.
The northern portion of Cape Breton Island is dominated by the
Cape Breton Highlands, commonly shortened to simply the "Highlands", which are an extension of the
Appalachian mountain chain. The Highlands comprise the northern portions of
Inverness and
Victoria counties. In 1936 the federal government established the
Cape Breton Highlands National Park covering 949 km² across the northern third of the Highlands. The
Cabot Trail scenic highway also encircles the coastal perimeter of the plateau.
★
Cape Breton Highlands - Nova Scotia Museum website
★
Cape Breton Highlands - Parks Canada website
Cape Breton Island's hydrological features include the
Bras d'Or Lake system, a salt-water
fjord at the heart of the island, and
freshwater features including
Lake Ainslie, the
Margaree River system, and the
Mira River. Innumerable smaller
rivers and
streams drain into the Bras d'Or Lake
estuary and onto the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Atlantic coasts.
Cape Breton Island is now joined to the mainland by the
Canso Causeway, completed in
1955, enabling direct
road and
rail traffic to and from the island, but requiring
marine traffic to pass through the
Canso Canal at the eastern end of the
causeway.
Cape Breton Island is divided into four counties:
Cape Breton,
Inverness,
Richmond, and
Victoria.
Demographics
The island's residents can be grouped into five main cultures;
Scottish,
Mi'kmaq,
Acadian,
Irish, and
English, with respective languages
Gaelic,
MÃkmaq,
French, and
English. English is now the primary spoken language, though MÃkmaq, Gaelic and French are still heard.
Later
migrations of
black Loyalists,
Italians, and
Eastern Europeans mostly settled in the eastern part of the island around the Industrial Cape Breton region. The population of Cape Breton Island has been in decline for almost two decades with an increasing population exodus in recent years due to economic conditions.
According to the Census of Canada, the population of Cape Breton Island in 2001 was 147,454, a 6.8% decline from 158,260 in 1996.
'Racial/Ethnic Composition'
★ 95.0% Caucasian
★ 3.6%
Mi'kmaq (Canadian First Nation)
★ 0.7%
Black
★ 0.1%
Arab
'Religious Groups'
Statistics Canada in 2001 reported a "religion" total of 107,880 for Cape Breton, including 3,915 with "no religious affiliation."
[1] Major categories included:
★ Roman Catholic: 69,820
★ Protestant: 32,575 (including 13,790 United Church and 10,170 Anglican)
★ Orthodox: 395
★ Jewish: 235
★ Muslim: 135
Synagogues in Sydney and Glace Bay serve a small historic Jewish community (which was once one of the larger ones in eastern Canada) while more recent Muslim immigrants hold Friday prayers at
Cape Breton University. Buddhists are a tiny minority (70 in 2001, according to Statistics Canada), although
Gampo Abbey in
Pleasant Bay has been operational since 1984.
Economy
Cape Breton Island has two major coal deposits: the Sydney Coal Field in the southeastern part of the island along the Atlantic Ocean drove the Industrial Cape Breton economy throughout the 19th and 20th centuries - until after
World War II its industries were the largest private employers in Canada; the Inverness Coal Field in the western part of the island along the Gulf of St. Lawrence is significantly smaller but hosted several mines.
Sydney has traditionally been the main port, with various facilities in a large, sheltered, natural harbour. It is the Island's largest commercial center and home to the Island's daily newspaper, the
Cape Breton Post, as well as its only active television studio,
CJCB-TV, and several radio stations. The
Marine Atlantic terminal at
North Sydney is the terminal for large ferries travelling to
Channel–Port aux Basques and seasonally to
Argentia on the island of
Newfoundland.
Point Edward on the west side of Sydney Harbour is the location of Sydport, a former
navy base now converted to commercial use. The
Canadian Coast Guard College is located nearby at Westmount. Petroleum, bulk coal, and cruise ship facilities are also located in Sydney Harbour.
Glace Bay is the second largest urban community in population and was the island's main coal mining centre until its last mine ceased operation in the 1980s. Glace Bay served as the hub of the Sydney & Louisburg Railway and also as a major fishing port. At one time, Glace Bay was known as the largest town in Nova Scotia, based on population.
Port Hawkesbury has risen to prominence since the completion of the Canso Causeway and
Canso Canal created an artificial deep-water port, allowing extensive petrochemical, pulp and paper, and gypsum handling facilities to be established. The Strait of Canso is completely navigable to
seaway-max vessels, and Port Hawkesbury is open to the deepest-draught vessels on the world's oceans. Large marine vessels may also enter Bras d'Or Lake through the Great Bras d'Or channel whereas small craft have the additional use of the Little Bras d'Or channel or
St. Peters Canal. The
St. Peters Canal is no longer used by commercial shipping on Cape Breton Island but is an important waterway for recreational vessels.
The industrial Cape Breton area faced several challenges with the closure of the
Cape Breton Development Corporation's (DEVCO)
coal mines and the
Sydney Steel Corporation's (SYSCO)
steel mill. In recent years the Island's residents have been attempting to diversify the area economy by investing in tourism developments,
call centres, and small businesses, as well as manufacturing ventures in such fields as auto parts, pharmaceuticals, and window glazings.
While the
Cape Breton Regional Municipality is in transition from an industrial to a service-based economy, the rest of Cape Breton Island outside of the industrial area surrounding Sydney-Glace Bay has been more stable, with a mixture of fishing, forestry, small-scale agriculture, and tourism.
Tourism in particular has grown throughout the post-
Second World War era, especially the growth in vehicle-based touring, which was furthered by the creation of the
Cabot Trail scenic drive. The scenery of the island is rivalled in northeastern North America only by
Newfoundland and Cape Breton Island tourism marketing places a heavy emphasis on its
Scottish Gaelic heritage through events such as the Celtic Colours Festival, held each October, as well as promotions through the
Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts.
The primary east-west road on the island is
Highway 105, the
Trans-Canada Highway, although
Trunk 4 is also heavily used.
Highway 125 is an important arterial route around Sydney Harbour in the
Cape Breton Regional Municipality. The
Cabot Trail, circling the Cape Breton Highlands, and
Trunk 19, along the western coast of the island, are important secondary roads. Railway connections between the port of Sydney to
Canadian National Railway in
Truro are maintained by the
Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway.
The
Cabot Trail is a scenic road circuit around and over the
Cape Breton Highlands with spectacular coastal vistas; over 400,000 visitors drive the Cabot Trail each summer and fall. Coupled with
Fortress Louisbourg, it has driven the growth of the tourism industry on the island in recent decades. The ''
Condé Nast'' travel guide has rated Cape Breton Island as one of the best island destinations in the world.
Traditional music
Main articles: Cape Breton fiddling
Cape Breton is well known for its traditional fiddle music, which was brought to North America by
Scottish immigrants during the
Highland Clearances. The traditional style has been well preserved in Cape Breton, and
ceilidhs have become a popular attraction for summer tourists.
Inverness County in particular has a heavy concentration of musical activity, with regular performances in communities such as
Mabou and
Judique. Judique is recognized as 'Bhaile nam Fonn', (literally: Village of Tunes) or the 'Home of Celtic Music', featuring the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre. Performers who have received significant recognition outside of Cape Breton include
Buddy MacMaster,
Natalie MacMaster,
Ashley MacIsaac,
The Rankin Family,
Aselin Debison, and
The Barra MacNeils.
The Men of the Deeps are a male choral group of current and former miners from the industrial Cape Breton area.
Notable facts
★ Cape Breton has a large contaminated industrial site. The
Sydney Tar Ponds and coke oven sites are located near
Whitney Pier in
Sydney, Nova Scotia. Waste from the coke ovens and steel plant was dumped in the ponds during the industry's heyday. The problem is further compounded by the former municipal dump uphill from these sites. The landfill has now been capped. A 400-million dollar cleanup plan is currently underway. Early stages of environmental remediation have begun.
★ District 26,
United Mine Workers of America, from the
Industrial Cape Breton region was the only district of the UMWA to attempt to join the
Red International of Trade Unions.
★
Fortress Louisbourg is Canada's largest National Historic Site and the largest historic restoration in North America - it depicts the 18th-century fortified French harbour town of Louisbourg.
★
Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-born inventor who eventually settled permanently at his summer residence near
Baddeck on Cape Breton Island's
Bras d'Or Lake. He is credited with inventing the
telephone,
hydrofoil,
hearing aid, and
iron lung, as well as doing extensive work with hearing- and visually-impaired persons, notably
Helen Keller. Bell contributed to the design of the ''
Silver Dart'', an aircraft that made the first powered flight in the
British Empire from the ice of Bras d'Or Lake. He and his wife are buried on their estate near Baddeck.
★ The
Marconi Museum in
Glace Bay is a museum celebrating the first trans-
Atlantic radio signals sent by
Marconi.
★
Glen Breton, based in Inverness County, is the only
single malt whisky distillery in North America.
★ A former coal mine at
Port Morien is considered the first commercially-run coal mine in North America, supplying
Louisbourg with coal in the 1700's.
★
Disney's was shot on location here in 1994.
Film and television
★ '' starring Adam Beach
★ ''
Johnny Belinda'' by
Elmer Blaney Harris.
★ ''
Margaret's Museum'' starring
Helena Bonham Carter.
★ ''
The Bay Boy'' starring
Kiefer Sutherland.
★ ''
New Waterford Girl''
★ ''
The Hanging Garden''
★ ''
Marion Bridge''
★ ''
My Bloody Valentine''
★ ''
Pit Pony'', TV movie and series adapted from the novel by Joyce Barkhouse
★ ''Mass for Shut Ins
Famous persons
The arts
★
Nathan Bishop,singer-songwriter from
Celtae
★
Randy Conrad, teenager who described a McDonald's sandwich as "one gigantic cornucopia of awesomeness"
★
John Allan Cameron, singer-songwriter, from
Glencoe Station, credited as the "Godfather" of Cape Breton's modern Celtic music revival
★
Lesley Crewe, Author of ''Relative Happiness'' and ''Shoot Me''
★
Aselin Debison, singer-songwriter
★
Danny Gallivan,
Hockey Night in Canada sportscaster
★
Bruce Guthro, singer-songwriter
★
Mary Jane Lamond, Gaelic singer
★
Angus MacAskill, Giant and Circus Performer
★
Ashley MacIsaac , fiddle player from
Creignish
★
Daniel MacIvor,actor, playwright, theatre director and film director from
Sydney
★
Hugh MacLennan,
Governor General's Awards winning Author ''
Barometer Rising'', and ''
Two Solitudes''.
★
Alistair MacLeod, Author
★ The
Barra MacNeils, singing group
★
Rita MacNeil,singer-songwriter, from
Big Pond
★
Buddy MacMaster, fiddle player from Judique
★
Natalie MacMaster, fiddle player from
Troy
★
Duncan Wells, singer-songwriter
★
Daniel Petrie
★
The Rankin Family, singers-songwriters, from
Mabou
★
Rick Ravanello Actor,
Hart's War- Various TV including 24, CSI, Desperate Housewives etc.
★
Harold Russell,
Acedemy Award winning actor for his portrayal of Homer Parrish, in the 1946 film ''
The Best Years of Our Lives''.
★
Gordie Sampson, singer-songwriter
Big Pond
Athletes
★
Al MacInnis
★
Mike McPhee
★
Johnny Miles
Politics and business
★
John Buchanan,
Premier of Nova Scotia
★
Mayann Francis, First Black Lieutenant Governor of
Nova Scotia
★
Rodney MacDonald,
Premier of Nova Scotia
★
Allan MacEachen, Former Deputy Prime Minister / Finance Minister
★
Russell MacLellan,
Premier of Nova Scotia
★
Elizabeth May, Leader of the
Green Party of Canada
★
John W. Morgan, Mayor,
Cape Breton Regional Municipality
★
Irving Schwartz, Businessman, Philanthropist, member of the
Order of Canada
See also
★
Canadian Gaelic
★
Cape Breton accent
★
Cape Breton Labour Party
★
Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
★
Provinces and territories of Canada
★
Province of Cape Breton
★
Cape Breton
References
1. Table from Statistics Canada
★
Counties of Nova Scotia; Statistics Canada
★
Sea islands: Natural Resources Canada Atlas of Canada
★
Cape Breton County and its divisions, Nova Scotia; Statistics Canada
External links
★
Cape Breton on Uncyclopedia
★
Cape Breton Wireless Heritage Society
★
Movement for a Free and Independent Province of Cape Breton
★
Cape Breton Island's 4 Men In A Tub
★
Cape Breton Island Directory
★
Caper Canada
★
Flags of Cape Breton Island, on Flags of the World.net website
★
Visit Victoria County
★
Hike the Highlands Festival
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