Nova Scotia stretches 500 kilometres on a southwest-northeast axis from Cape Sable to Cape North, the shape of the province is often compared to that native delicacy, the lobster, with Cape Breton Island representing the outstretched claws, preparing to nip unsuspecting Newfoundland across the Cabot Strait.
The coastline of the uplands region is deeply indented, forming many good harbours, some of which are considered outstanding. Hundreds of islands dot the landscape along the entire Atlantic coast, most notably at St. Margarets Bay and Mahone Bay. Reefs and shoals abound, accounting for the many lighthouses erected along this coast. In many ways the Atlantic uplands coast epitomizes the North Atlantic coastline with its bare granite sheets plunging headlong into the raging surf to produce an awesome cataclysm between land and sea. When people think of Nova Scotia, they usually envisage the rocky granite shores of the uplands. Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia
Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, is a small community at the mouth of Halifax Harbour and is named for the waterway between the mainland on one side and the islands, Lawlor’s and McNab’s, on the other. The first official mention of the area was on a nautical chart prepared by James Cook in 1759. It refers to the South East Passage, the ocean end of the overall Passage, as passable for small watercraft. The name Eastern Passage is mentioned on an Admiralty Chart in 1853.
Eastern Passage has been, at one time or another, home to Mi’kmaq, French, British and German settlers. Native settlement was usually in the summer months when the Mi’kmaq could take advantage of the saltwater and freshwater resources accessible from the area. They continued summer settlement until the late 1800s.
War between France and England had a terrible effect on relations between the settlers of the Halifax area and the natives, who were often in caught in the middle. The Mi’kmaq were allied with the French, and as the fighting between France and England intensified m 1749, Edward Cornwallis placed a bounty on natives.
At the height of the problems in 1751, after an attack on Dartmouth residents, the Mi’kmaq were deported from Eastern Passage to McNab’s Island, where it was thought their movements would be restricted and easier to monitor. In his “History of Eastern Passage” for the Dartmouth Patriot in 1901, H. W. Hewitt wrote about an incident in which Mi’krnaq killed five English soldiers at the fort on Cogel’s Point.
A truce was called in 1752, at which point disease caused by European contact had weakened the Mi’kmaq population. By that time the English settlement of Halifax had become powerful enough that the Mi’kmaq no longer posed a great danger.
One of the first land grants given in Eastern Passage was to a veteran soldier. Joseph Gorham was granted a large parcel of land in Eastern Passage from Governor Edward Cornwallis in 1752. Gorham was most famous along with his three brothers as members of military group known as the Gorham’s Rangers, a mercenary group largely made up of Britain’s Mohawk allies, that used guerilla tactics. Gorham went on to be appointed Head of the Indian Department and Governor of Newfoundland. He was reportedly a heavy drinker and this eventually led to the loss of all his land, including the Eastern Passage grant.
In 1798 the land formerly owned by Gorham was deeded to one of the more noteworthy early settlers of Eastern Passage, Jacob Horn (his descendants now have an “e” at the end of their surname). Of German descent, Horn had fought alongside Frederick the Great of Prussia. Jacob eventually came to Canada and fought for the British under General Wolfe at Quebec in 1759. After the French defeat, he came to Halifax. According to Hewitt, Horn travelled from Quebec on snowshoes, a popular but gruelling mode of travel during the winter months. Jacob had been granted McNab’s Island, but found it inconvenient to transport produce and cattle to the mainland, so he traded his grant for one in Eastern Passage.
Many land grants were given to individuals whose ancestors still live in Eastern Passage. Names such as Naugle, Romkey, Hartlen and Soward can be traced to these early land grantees. Agriculture was a major source of income for many of the early settlers. Many of the early residents prospered, as they found the quiet life to their liking and the close proximity of the markets of Halifax convenient, especially in the winter when the harbour froze, making the trip easy in a horse and sleigh.
In 1813 the road from the Horne property (Quigley’s Corner) to Hawkin’s Point (Hartlen’s Point) was repaired after a request from Lewis Himmelman, a newly arrived settler of German descent. There were subsequent repairs to roads in Eastern Passage and Cow Bay due to increased population and usage. In 1827 the population of Eastern Passage stood at 157, comprised of 26 families. According to census data, none of the families reported fishing as an occupation.
By 1851 the population had quadrupled.
There were 661 people in Eastern Passage in 90 families. Almost half the families listed fishing as their primary occupation. This suggests that they migrated to Eastern Passage for this. The family names that were common at the time and which are still familiar are Horn(e), Cleary, Negus, DeYoung, Fraser, Osborn(e), Himmelmann, Moser, Edwards, Bowes, McKenzie and York.
The population of Eastern Passage continued to grow. The 1871 census recorded 818 people and 152 families. Fishing was the main occupation of a fifth of the population. Additional names in the census that are familiar today are Henneberry, Conrad and Welshman.
By 1881 the population growth slowed and there were reportedly 892 residents. One-third of the families listed fishing as their primary means of making a living. Most of the names of the settlers from the 1800s can still be found in Eastern Passage.
In the 1800s the residents of Eastern Passage made their living in a number of ways other than fishing. In 1855 a brickworks was opened. It employed up to 40 workers at a time and provided face bricks for Fort Needham in Halifax.
Between 1840 and World War II, gold was mined in Cow Bay. It was said to have been discovered by Al Negus in the 1840s and mined ’til 1890, when rights were sold to an American Company. Gold and other minerals such as graphite and lead were mined in Cow Bay and the Passage until World War II.
Construction has always been an important source of income in Eastern Passage. As early as 1745 the British military built the Eastern Battery to help protect the harbour from attack. It was renamed Fort Clarence. In 1866 and 1880 Fort Clarence was expanded, providing local jobs. It was finally dismantled in 1930.
The turn of the century brought new technology to Eastern Passage, including the first telephone service in 1902. The first automobiles appeared in Nova Scotia in 1909. Into the ’30s and ’40s boats and horse-drawn wagons or sleighs were the main modes of transportation in Eastern Passage (according to one resident there were only three or four cars in the Passage before World War II). In 1912 the railway was extended from Woodside through Eastern Passage to Musquodoboit, allowing further industrial developments.
Imperial Oil opened in 1918 and was a major employer, offering year-round employment with benefits. Many of the employees of Imperial Oil moved to the new village called Imperoyal in what is now known as Woodside.
The early ’40s brought a lot of changes to Eastern Passage both physically and psychologically. The population of Eastern Passage exploded with the influx of thousands of soldiers who were assigned to guard the harbour and train for the war in Europe. The forts, gun bunkers and submarine gates changed the landscape forever. The destructive fire of 1942 also changed the lives of many people in Eastern Passage. Families were left homeless and much of the waterfront was burned to the ground. And finally the famous Crick was dredged in 1946. Before that it has been said that you could jump across the water at low tide. The dredging made it possible for the Crick to become the base for the fishing industry in the area.
The Eastern Passage that the interviewees remember was a small rural community, where many people fished, others ran small businesses and some worked in the home. Earning a living was no easy task as most of the employment was seasonal. Many of the Passage people were employed in one of the nearby oil or sugar refineries and some worked gathering sand and gravel for construction.
While only several kilometres from Halifax, the Eastern Passage that is remembered in these interviews was a small, tightknit village that had the feel of a place far removed from the big city. People seemed to enjoy the rural feel of Eastern Passage as well as the advantages of living near a big city.
Eastern Passage was a community of contradictions. Often it was referred to as a fishing village, but many people worked in construction or the oil industry and some travelled to the city to work. Though Passage people were protective of their rural lifestyle, they could and often did travel to Halifax for business and recreation. Maybe it was the isolation and the shelter provided by Lawlor’s and McNab’s, large islands that lie between Eastern Passage and Halifax, or their love of rural life, but most will tell you that it was the strong sense of community that has made Eastern Passage unique.