Canso, Nova Scotia

For the headland, see Cape Canso.

Canso
Community

Canso as seen from the harbour
Nickname(s): Oldest Fishing Port on Mainland North America
Motto: "Heritage, Heart & Home"
Canso

Location of Canso, Nova Scotia

Coordinates: 45°20′2″N 60°59′43″W / 45.33389°N 60.99528°W / 45.33389; -60.99528
Country  Canada
Province  Nova Scotia
County Guysbrough County
Founded 1604
Incorporated May 14, 1901
Government
 • Type Town Council
 • Mayor Frank Fraser
 • Governing Body Canso Town Council
 • MLA Jim Boudreau (NDP)
 • MP Rodger Cuzner (L)
Area
 • Land 5.42 km2 (2.09 sq mi)
Elevation 0 - 14 m (−46 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 806
 • Density 148.8/km2 (385/sq mi)
Time zone AST (UTC-4)
 • Summer (DST) ADT (UTC-3)
Canadian Postal code B0H 1H0
Area code(s) 902
Telephone Exchange 366
Median Earnings* $30,502
NTS Map 011F07
GNBC Code CAGBW
Website http://www.townofcanso.com
Historical population
YearPop.±%
19011,479—    
19111,617+9.3%
19211,623+0.4%
19311,575−3.0%
19411,418−10.0%
19511,313−7.4%
19561,261−4.0%
19611,151−8.7%
19811,255+9.0%
19861,285+2.4%
19911,228−4.4%
19961,127−8.2%
2001992−12.0%
2006911−8.2%
[1][2]

Coordinates: 45°20′2″N 60°59′43″W / 45.33389°N 60.99528°W / 45.33389; -60.99528 (Canso) Canso is a community in Guysborough County, on the north-eastern tip of mainland Nova Scotia, Canada, next to Chedabucto Bay. In January 2012, it ceased to be a separate town and as of July 2012 was amalgamated into The Municipality of the District of Guysborough.[3]

The area was established in 1604, along with Port Royal, Nova Scotia. The British construction of a fort in the village (1720), was instrumental in contributing to Dummer's War (1722–1725). The town is of national historic importance because it was one of only two British settlements in Nova Scotia prior to the establishment of Halifax (1749). Canso played a key role in the defeat of Louisbourg. Today, the town attracts people internationally for the annual Stan Rogers Folk Festival.

Geography

The community is located on the southern shore of Chedabucto Bay. The southern limit of the bay is at Cape Canso, a headland approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) southeast of the community.

Canso is the southeastern terminus of Trunk 16, an important secondary highway in Antigonish and Guysborough counties.

As the community is situated on the end of a peninsula jutting into the Atlantic Ocean, Canso frequently experiences fog, particularly during the warmer summer months when continental air temperatures collide with cooler ocean temperatures offshore.

Canso Islands

Canso Harbour is protected by the Canso Islands, a small archipelago lying immediately north and east of the mainland, with Durells Island, Piscataqui Island, George Island, and Grassy Island being the largest.

The islands were designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1925 due to their role as an important fishing base for the French in the 16th century and the British during the 18th century, and as the staging point for the 1745 expedition against Louisbourg.[4] "Grassy Island Fort", the remains of early 18th-century British fortifications (a 1720 redoubt, 1723-24 fort, and a 1745 blockhouse) on Grassy Island, was also individually designated as a National Historic Site in 1962.[5]

History

Canso, Nova Scotia - 1914

Since the 16th century, Canso has been a strategically important fishery base. It is said that the harbour of Canso was frequented by European fur traders and fishermen within a dozen years of the arrival of Columbus in America, and an attempt at settlement was made here as early as 1518.

Acadian Governor Razill built a fortified post, Fort Saint-Francois at Canso with Nicholas Le Creux, Sieur du Breuil as lieutenant.[6]

Raid on Canso (1718) - The Squirrel Affair

Shortly after Cyprian Southack established himself at Shelburne, Nova Scotia (1715), the Mi'kmaq raided the station and burned it to the ground.[7] In response, on 17–24 September 1718, Southback led a raid on Canso and Chedabucto (present-day community of Guysborough) in what became known as the Squirrel Affair. Southack laid siege for three days to Fort St. Louis at Chedabucto, which was defended primarily by Acadians.[8] There were approximately 300 Acadians in the area.[9]

On board the HMS Squirrel, Southack killed numerous Acadians and imprisoned others. On September 18, British marines landed on Lasconde's Grave and seized the entrance to Chedabucto Harbour. The following day the HMS Squirrel landed troops at Salmon River who then proceeded to the rear of the village. The HMS Squirrel made its first attempt to enter the harbour but was beaten back by the Acadian cannon fire from the fort. Later in the day the village was captured by the land troops. On September 20 the HMS Squirrel made a second, and successful, attempt to enter the harbour. Once in the harbor, the ship fired upon the fort.

On September 23, Southack pillaged and burned the village. The pillaged goods were then loaded onto several French ships that had been captured in the harbor. The following day, September 24, Southack released the Acadian prisoners onto the Canso Islands without any provisions or clothing.[10] Others fled to Isle Madame and Petit-de-Grat, Nova Scotia.[11] He seized two French ships, and encouraged Governor of Nova Scotia Richard Philipps to fortify Canso.[7]

Raid on Canso (1720)

On August 7, 1720, 60-75 Mi'kmaq joined French fishermen from Petit de Grat and attacked the fortification as it was being built. The Mi'kmaq killed three men, wounded four more and caused significant damage.[12][13][14] The New Englanders took 21 prisoners which they transported to Annapolis Royal. This raid on Canso was significant because of the involvement of the Mi'kmaq and was significant in leading to Father Rale's War.[15]

In the Fall of 1720, the New Englanders finished building the fort named Fort William Augustus (also known as Fort Phillips, after the Governor of Nova Scotia Richard Philipps).[16] Construction of such a permanent facility was a violation of long-standing agreements between the Mi'kmaq and the fishermen. This significant violation helped precipate Father Rale's War.[17]

In 1721, the Governor of Massachusetts took proprietarial attitude toward the Canso fisheries and sent the HMS Seahorse to patrol the waters off Nova Scotia. With the arrival of British troops, the Mi'kmaq discouraged from attacking until the following year.[18] The HMS Seahorse was replaced in 1721 by a New England vessel, the William Augustus under the command of Southack.[19]

Father Rale's War

Raid on Canso (1722)

In the lead up to Father Rale's War, in July 1722, the Mi'kmaq and some Abenakis began a major offensive against New England fishermen and traders in an attempt to blockade the Nova Scotia capital of Annapolis Royal. Natives captured eighteen trading vessels in the Bay of Fundy and an additional eighteen New England fishing schooners between Cape Sable and Canso.[18] As a result, the New England Governor declared war on the Mi'kmaq which lasted three years.

The ship William Augustus led ships from Canso to protect the fisheries, which resulted in the battle at Jeddore Harbour, Nova Scotia.[20] Only five native bodies were recovered from the battle and the New Englanders decapitated the corpses and set the severed heads on pikes surrounding Canso's new fort.[21]

Raid on Canso (1723)

On 23 July 1723, the village was raided again by the Mi'kmaq and they killed three men, a woman and a child.[22][23] In this same year, the New Englanders built a twelve-gun blockhouse to guard the village and fishery.[24][25]

Raid on Canso (1725)

In 1725, sixty Abenakis and Mi'kmaq launch another attack on Canso, destroying two houses and killing six people.[26][27]

King George's War

Raid on Canso (1744)

Main article: Raid on Canso

At the outbreak of King George's War, the French destroyed the flourishing fishing village during the Raid on Canso (1744).

Siege of Louisbourg

A year later, the village Canso was used as a staging area for the Siege of Louisbourg (1745). General Sir William Pepperell arrived at Canso, Nova Scotia, with four thousand and seventy troops, April 4, 1745, and, in three weeks was joined by Commodore Warren, with four ships from England.

Father Le Loutre's War

Raid on Canso (1749)

During Father Le Loutre's War, in August 1749, Lieutenant Joseph Gorham was at Canso and his party was attacked by Mi'kmaq. They seized his vessel and took twenty prisoners and carried them off to Louisbourg. Three English and seven Mi'kmaq were killed.[28]

Attack at Canso (1753)

On February 21, 1753, 9 Mi'kmaq in canoes attacked an English vessel which had a crew of four at near-by Country Harbour, Nova Scotia. The Mi'kmaq killed two English men and took two others captive for six weeks. After seven weeks in captivity, on April 8, the two English men killed six Mi'kmaq and managed to escape.[29] In response, on the night of April 21 the Mi'kmaq attacked another English schooner in a naval battle between Outique Island and Isle Madame in which the Mi'kmaq attacked an English schooner. There were nine English men and one Acadian who was the pilot. The Mi'kmaq killed the English and let the Acadian off at Port Toulouse, where the Mi'kmaq sank the schooner after looting it.[30]

French and Indian War

Expulsion of the Acadians

During the Expulsion of the Acadians the famous ship the Duke William was in port for almost a month awaiting passage to France (1758). While in port the vessel narrowly escaped a raid by Mi'kmaq.

American Revolution

Raid on Canso (1775)

During the American Revolution, Canso was subject to numerous raids by American Privateers. George Washington's Marblehead Regiment raided Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on 17 November 1775 and three days later, they raided Canso Harbor.

Raid on Canso (1776)

On September 22, 1776, Canso was attacked by American privateer John Paul Jones - the Father of the American Navy. The privateer sailed on the USS Providence and destroyed fifteen vessels, and damaged much property on shore. There he recruited men to fill the vacancies created by manning his prizes, burned a British fishing schooner, sank a second, and captured a third besides a shallop which he used as a tender. Jones then pillaged the community of Petit-de-Grat, Nova Scotia and Arichat, Nova Scotia on Isle Madame, Nova Scotia and then returned to Boston.

On 22 November, John Paul Jones returned to Canso in the USS Alfred. Boats from the ship raided the community, his crews burned a transport bound for Canada with provisions and a warehouse full of whale oil, besides capturing a small schooner. Captain Jones then went on to present-day Sydney, Nova Scotia to free Americans imprisoned in the British coalmines.

Raid on Canso (1779)

Main article: Raid on Canso

Again in 1779, American privateers destroyed the Canso fisheries, worth $50,000 a year to England.[31]

Recent history

The former seal of Canso

In a plebiscite held on July 12, 2008 residents narrowly voted to amalgamate the town with the neighbouring Municipality of the District of Guysborough. The decision to amalgamate was put off, and after review was rejected again in March 2010.[32]

On January 19, 2012 the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board granted the town’s application to dissolve. On July 1, 2012, Canso became part of The Municipality of the District of Guysborough.[33]

Attractions and events

This aging cable building, now a historic site, received the first distress call from Titanic in 1912

Canso is host to the Stan Rogers Folk Festival, an annual event held around the Canada Day weekend. This event attracts over 10,000 visitors, who enjoy music from all over the world on seven different stages over the 3 days.

Each year, during the second week of August, a regatta is held within the town. This week-long event includes boat races, a mid-way, parade, seaman's memorial, hootenannies as well as various activities for the youth. The regatta draws many previous generations of the town to serve the purpose of a Come Home week. Each year, the regatta has a theme which is reflected in the parade, with 2009's being The Circus Comes to Town.[34]

Transportation

Trunk 16 terminates in Canso, at the highway's easternmost point.

Distance chart

Destination Distance (km) Distance (mi) Highways Notes
Guysborough, Nova Scotia[35] 48.2 30.0 Trunk 16
Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia 110 68 Trunk 16 / Hwy 104 (TCH)
Antigonish, Nova Scotia 112 70 Trunk 16 / Hwy 104 (TCH)
New Glasgow, Nova Scotia 167 104 Trunk 16 / Hwy 104 (TCH)
Truro, Nova Scotia 225 140 Trunk 16 / Hwy 104 (TCH)
Sydney, Nova Scotia 238 148 Trunk 16 / Hwy 104 (TCH) / Hwy 104 / Trunk 4
Amherst, Nova Scotia 326 203 Trunk 16 / Hwy 104 (TCH)
Halifax, Nova Scotia 327 203 Trunk 16 / Hwy 104 (TCH) / Hwy 102 / Hwy 118 / Hwy 111
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia 621 386 Trunk 16 / Hwy 104 (TCH) / Hwy 102 / Hwy 101

Notable residents

Notes

  1. ↑ Census 1956-1961 Archived August 22, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ I:\ecstats\Agency\BRIAN\census2
  3. ↑ Amalgamation Decision
  4. ↑ Canso Islands National Historic Site of Canada. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  5. ↑ Grassy Island Fort National Historic Site of Canada. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
  6. ↑ Brenda Dunn. A History of Port Royal, Annapolis Royal: 1605-1800. Nimbus Publishing, 2004. p. 16
  7. 1 2 Geoffery Plank. An Unsettled Conquest. University of Pennsylvania. 2001. p. 76-77.
  8. ↑ Haynes, p. 121, 125
  9. ↑ Haynes, p.122
  10. ↑ Campbell, p. 132
  11. ↑ Robinson, p. 53; Haynes, p. 111, p. 114, p. 121
  12. ↑ Geoffery Plank. An Unsettled Conquest. University of Pennsylvania. 2001. p. 77; William Williamson, History of Maine. p. 101; Ruth Holmes Whithead. The Old Man Told Us. p.94
  13. ↑ https://archive.org/stream/provincegalleym00taplgoog#page/n52/mode/2up
  14. ↑ https://archive.org/stream/louisbourgfromit00mcleuoft#page/67/mode/1up
  15. ↑ Robinson, p. 56
  16. ↑ Haynes, p. 142
  17. ↑ Geoffery Plank, An Unsettled Conquest. p. 78.
  18. 1 2 George Rawlyk. Cod, Louisbourg. and the Acadians. The Atlantic Region to Confederation: A History. p.114
  19. ↑ Haynes, p. 157
  20. ↑ Beamish Murdoch, History of Nova Scotia or Acadia, p. 399.
  21. ↑ Geoffery Plank, An Unsettled Conquest, p. 78
  22. ↑ Haynes, p. 158
  23. ↑ https://archive.org/stream/penhallowsindian00penh#page/96/mode/2up
  24. ↑ Benjamin Church, p. 289; John Grenier, p. 62
  25. ↑ https://archive.org/stream/documentsrelativ09brod#page/936/mode/2up
  26. ↑ Haynes, p. 159
  27. ↑ Panhallow, p. 109
  28. ↑ Akins, History of Halifax. p. 18
  29. ↑ Whitehead, p. , 129, 137
  30. ↑ Whitehead, p. 137
  31. ↑ Lieutenant Governor Sir Richard Hughes states in a dispatch to Lord Germaine
  32. ↑ http://www.guysboroughjournal.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=82:council-votes-down-amalgamation&catid=42:front-page-stories
  33. ↑ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2012/01/19/ns-canso-amalgamation.html
  34. ↑ http://www.guysboroughjournal.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=73
  35. ↑ Distances and subsequent routes are courtesy of Google Maps' "Directions" tool.
  36. ↑ http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/norris_hannah_maria_14E.html

References

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