Nicolas Denys was born in Tours, France, in 1603. He came to Acadie with Isaac de Razilly in 1632, full of hope. He wanted to develop trade in fish, furs, and lumber, but he was beset by bad luck. He first established a lumber business east of the…

Cliquez ici pour la version française The history of Chéticamp, Nova Scotia, is tied to the Philip Robin Company (later the Charles Robin Company), a firm from the Isle of Jersey in the English Channel that came to Chéticamp in the late 1760’s to…

We know that many European fishermen crossed the Atlantic in the 16th century, soon after Cabot made landfall in North America. English, French, Spanish, and Basque ships came to fish off the coast of what is now Nova Scotia where the waters teemed…

The canning of shellfish, such as clams, lobster, crab, and oysters, developed as an industry around the early 1900s when equipment, canning materials, and a general knowledge of the science of canning coincided with a demand for canned goods.…

Nova Scotia has produced many great rowers and paddlers over the past 150 years. The tradition began in our seaside province back in the 1800s and continues today, though now more commonly on lakes and rivers with canoes and kayaks. The most…

If you came to Nova Scotia in the 19th century to hunt or fish – and there were quite a few who did – you hired a guide. You wanted someone who knew the woodlands and wetlands like the back of their hands. Nine times out of ten that meant a…

On December 14th, 1938, a crowd formed on the Lunenburg waterfront. It was launching day, and hundreds of spectators had gathered to witness the unveiling of the latest addition to Nova Scotia's offshore fishing fleet. As the new vessel slid into…

In 1915, the Myers house and eight acres of property in Oyster Pond (now Jeddore Oyster Ponds) were passed from James H. and Hannah Myers to their son Ervin Myers and his wife Ethelda. Their home was ideal for a fisherman’s family with a house,…

The area around the tiny village of Peggy's Cove has had a special fascination for artists and photographers for many years. Its fame dates from 1921, when renowned Nova Scotian photographer W.R. McAskill photographed it, calling it "Quiet…