Cape Sable Island (Nova Scotia)

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Cape Sable Island , locally referred to as Cape Island, is a small Canadian island located at the southernmost point of the Nova Scotia peninsula. Sometimes confused with Sable Island, Cape Sable Island forms the eastern limit to the Gulf of Maine, opposite Cape Cod.

The island is separated from the mainland by Barrington Passage, a narrow strait. Ferry service provided transportation to the island in the early 20th century. A causeway was eventually constructed for pedestrian and automobile traffic, opening on August 5, 1949. The largest community on the island is the fishing port of Clark's Harbour. Other communities include North East Point, Centreville, Clam Point, Stoney Island, South Side, Newellton, West Head, and The Hawk.

1 History
2 Residents
3 Bird Watching
4 See also
5 References

[edit] History

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In the Middle 1700’s, people on Cape Cod and nearby Nantucket Island were establishing centers for successful fisheries. The waters off southwestern Nova Scotia had been well known to them probably since the days of French settlement in the early 1600’s. While the tides of the Gulf of Maine may have brought a few exploring fishermen from Nantucket to the island, it was an entirely different tide that spawned the eventual permanent English settlement – a political tide.

The Colonialists of Cape Cod who had fled religious persecution in Europe, were a independent people who had a great loyalty to the predominately protestant British monarchy. At the end of the long French and Indian wars between Great Britain and France, the French had been defeated ending years of attacks from Canadian French and Indians against the British colonies in the south. England offered the defeated French an opportunity to remain in their homes as English citizens by swearing loyalty to the British king. Many French colonialists preferred to leave rather than avow loyalty to Britain. This led to vacating much of the coastal territories of Canada. The English chose to offer their own colonists in North America free land to those who would resettle those vacated lands. Many Cape New Englanders took advantage of the offer of 50 acres of land to each male adult who would leave their homes and live on those vacated lands in Canada. Cape Sable Island was well known to Cape Cod fishermen and they moved north to take advantage of a new life. This took place in 1760 and had no connection to the later movement of the American Revolution.

The island lies in the path of Nor'easters and hurricanes which occur periodically. Over the years this has led to a number of shipwrecks.  The most noteworthy and ultimately the most

beneficial was the wreck of the Hungarian in April 1860.

Until that time there had been no lighthouse to warn mariners of pending disaster; the Cape Light evolved from wreck of the Hungarian.

[edit] Residents

In spite of what might seem to have been major deterrents to permanent settlement, they came and they stayed. There were shiploads of Smiths, Nickersons, Atkinsons, Crowells, Newells, Townsends, Rosses, Swims and many others; their descendants are still here some 250 years later. Archelaus Smith settled in Centerville, Michael Swim at Swims Point in Clark’s Harbour, Newell families in Newellton, Daniel Vinton at Daniel’s Head in Southside, Ross families at Stoney Island – many of these surnames remain very common today.

[edit] Bird Watching

With the ocean lapping on all sides of the island, the climate is maritime - decidedly cool in summer but winters are considerably more moderate than interior parts of the province. The island is a notable birding destination, being an important migratory stopping point for birds such as the Atlantic Brant and Piping Plover. It is this unique climate, its abundant tidal marshes and the island's geographical location on the north-south flight path of numerous migratory water foul that has given it the international designation as an Important Birding Area (IBA). The annual Brant Geese fly-by during March and April is developing into a local Birding Event. The tens of thousands of Brant make their spectacular fly by at dusk after spending the day feeding in local marshes. They spend the night bobbing in the Atlantic to the east of the island.