Cape Breton Places & Foods

When you stand by the Old Town Clock on the Citadel Hill and gaze across the Harbor, to the town of Dartmouth, you will notice that the town is settled mostly in a valley between the hills. On one side is the high ground on which the golf links are located and on the other high hill is the site of the lovely home of H.R. Silver. On this hill I first saw the light of day. It was then known as Owen’s Farm. Between these high places the famous Dartmouth lakes are located, and they empty out to the Harbour of Halifax, down a controlled waterway of the Starr Manufacturing Company, and the rolling mill in Dartmouth Cove. I propose today to chat about the Dartmouth lakes where I spent my boyhood and the famous Shubenacadie Canal, which was built with the idea of a commercial waterway from Halifax Harbour to the Bay of Fundy.

The Dartmouth lakes which now bear the name of Lake Mic Mac and Lake Banook were for years known simply as First and Second Lakes. When I was a boy, living alongside First Lake with my grandparents, there were only one or two rowboats and the old steam-launch on the lakes, whose chief reason for existence seemed to me, to be a place where next summer’s ice could be obtained by my old friend Sam Chittick, but with McPhee’s Boat House, and the establishment of the Banook Canoe Club and later the Mic Mac Rowing Club, the scene completely changed.

The Dartmouth lakes became the playground of Dartmouth, and there is nothing finer anywhere. Today instead of just half a dozen houses at the foot of the lake on Prince Albert Road, and two of tree on the other side of the lake, one finds one of the nicest residential sections, particularly on the north side, and all along the Waverly Road lovely homes are springing up, where a few years ago only summer camps were to be found.

To the Dartmouth lakes on Natal Day, goes every Dartmouthian and thousands of Haligonians for the regatta and fireworks display, which outstrips anything in the way of celebration that takes place in the Province.

To those who did not own a boat or canoe, McPhee’s Boathouse proved a blessing. Here one could hire a boat and row up First Lake, through the tittles and on up Second lake to Port Wallis Locks, where family picnics would take place.

When this beauty spot was discovered, and after the usual romping around had been done and the family had settled down to eat on the banks of the canal leading up to the locks, nearly every small boy asked his parents what the big granite walls were for, and no doubt many of my listeners in Dartmouth have had to explain to their boys and girls the reason for this structure.

Only a few weeks ago I received a letter from a Dartmouth listener, whose small son had asked this very question and so for the benefit of this lad and others who want to know more about it, I propose to chat today about the Shubenacadie Canal, with which it was proposed to join the Harbor with the Dartmouth Lakes and then make a canal joining other lakes until the Shubenacadie River was reached as a waterway into the Minas Basin. The history of the Shubenacadie Canal covers a period from 1794 to 1870, nearly one hundred years, and ended in complete failure, as far as a commercial enterprise is considered, and now is nothing more than a magnificent scenic waterway, over which adventurous youths sometimes in summer, spend a couple of weeks, in a canoe trip, with several small portages between lakes; the locks long ago have fallen into disrepair. A great many members of the Banook Canoe Club will tell you of trips they have taken over this route, during the summer holidays.

At a very early period, the importance of obtaining easy access to that part of the Province lying on the shore of the Basin of Minas, by making a canal between Dartmouth and Shubenacadie Lakes and Rivers, attracted general attention. Sir John Wentworth, in a letter to Colonel Small, dated 27th May, 1794, says;” Your territory at Kennetcook will be much approved by my plan of rendering the Shubenacadie navigable, and a communication thence to Dartmouth by a chain of lakes. This great work I hope to get completed, if we are not interrupted by hostilities.”

Lake Charles, near the first Shubenacadie Lake, is three and a half miles from Halifax. From the southern end of this lake there is a descent through the Dartmouth Lakes to the harbor of Halifax, of ninety one feet; and from it’s northern extremity, a gradual descent through several beautiful lakes into the great Shubenacadie, thence in the channel of the river for a distance of about thirty miles to the junction of the waters of the Bay of Fundy. The lakes on this chain are the First and Second Dartmouth Lakes, Lake Charles, Lake William, Lake Thomas, Fletcher’s Lake, and Grand Lake.

In the year 1797, the matter of the canal was brought before the legislature. The House appropriated the sum of two hundred and fifty pounds, and appointed a committee to institute inquiry into everything connected with the construction of a canal from Dartmouth Cove, across the Province to the Shubenacadie River, where it falls into the Basin of Minas. This committee employed Mr. Isaac Hildreth, a civil engineer, who made a survey and reported it to the commissioners. The report was dated 15th November, 1797. He estimated that the cost of a four foot navigation would be 17983,202,17s [pounds] 6d.

In the session of 1798, a bill was brought before the legislature, for incorporating a company to complete the canal. A petition praying for legislative assistance had previously introduced and signed by William Forsyth, Andrew Belcher, and Richard Kidston. The governor of the province, Sir John Wentworth, being very friendly to the undertaking, addressed a letter dated 16th July, 1798, to the gentlemen who proposed to form the company for constructing the canal. He stated that the House of Assembly had addressed him, requesting that a patent might be issued toward carrying into effect the purposes intended in the said petition, and that he would give the necessary orders to expedite that patent for the advice and consent of His Majesty’s Council.

He goes on to say, that he is persuaded that the greatest benefit will be derived from the execution of the plan, “to the revenue and morals of the country, by making it the interest and convenience of numerous and increasing inhabitants to purchase the fair trader in or through Halifax; whence the frauds, lying, violence, and prejudices attendant on their commerce will naturally vanish.” Evidently bootleggers were in existence in those days.

Notwithstanding all this, the bill did not pass. The subject of a canal was therefore in abeyance until 1814. About this time the opinion was held by certain promoters of the scheme, that communication could be made between Lake William and the Harbor via Bedford Basin, A competent engineer, however, who was authorized to examine this line, disapproved of the proposal and gave his adherence to the original route. Further sums of money were then voted at the solicitation of Mr. Valentine Gill, a civil engineer.

About this time a small amount of money was voted by the Assembly was expended by Mr. Gill in removing obstructions from the river near Fletcher’s Bridge and rendering that point accessible during spring and autumn for large boats from the bay shore.

On opening the session of 1820, Lord Dalhousie, who was then governor, deemed the matter worthy of being included among the suggestions for the improvement of the Province. He said it promised great public advantages, and he suggested the employment of competent engineers to ascertain the extent of its difficulties. The House replied that it would carefully consider the interesting subject, Two hundred pounds were accordingly voted for a more particular survey but this sum being found to be inadequate, further proceedings were delayed until 1824, when an additional sum of three hundred pounds was appropriated to secure the services of a gentleman of competent ability for the execution for the important task.

In order to encourage and facilitate the formation of an association to construct the canal, an act to authorize the incorporation of such a company was passed by the assembly in 1844. at the close of the session, His Excellency Sir James Kempt said, “the internal communications of a country tend so manifestly to its improvement and to increase the productive industry of its population, that I shall lose no time in employing the means which you have placed at my disposal, to ascertain the practicability and expense of forming a canal to unite the waters of the Basin of Minas with the Harbour of Halifax.”

The Shubenacadie Canal Company was incorporated by letters patent dated 1st June, 1826. On Tuesday, the 26th of July, of the same year, the ceremony of commencing the canal took place. Sir James Kempt, the governor of the Province, attended by a large escort of the military and naval force, with artillery and rifle bands, also the officers of the Grand Lodge, the Royal Albion, and the Lodges Nos.4, 8 188, 265 of the Free and Accepted Masons, turned out, together with a large number of spectators, to do honor to the occasion. They proceeded to Port Wallis, three miles from Dartmouth, at the pass between the Second Dartmouth Lake, and Lake Charles; and there ground was broken by Lord Dalhousie who was visiting Halifax at the time.

The funds of the company were increased by the sale of stocks in England to the amount of twenty seven hundred pounds sterling, and also by a loan of twenty thousand pounds sterling by the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury. In consideration of this loan, the Lords of the Commissioners of the Treasury received a mortgage of the canal. The total expenditure of this company up to December, 1835, was in currency eighty seven thousand eight hundred and thirty pounds,

Notwithstanding Mr. Hall’s abilities and attention, and the approval of his designs by Thomas Telford, the consulting engineer, the works in the locks and dams proved very faulty. Every winter the frost did great damage. The contractors declared their inability to proceed with and complete their work. The company itself undertook to make good the damages, but with no better result. The dam broke at the northern end of Lake Charles, and immediately the costly works at Fletcher’s Lake and at the Grand Lake were destroyed by the great rush of water. This disaster proved a deathblow to the Shubenacadie Canal Company.

While the work had been going on, Dartmouth had profited materially by the enterprise. From the beginning, it had been difficult to procure suitable workmen, and the vessel called the Corsair was accordingly charted by Mr. Kidd, who proceeded to Scotland and returned in the spring of 1827 with about forty stonecutters and masons with their families. These men labored at the locks for about two or three years. They were industrious and skillful artistsans, and infused a spirit of emulation in their fellow-laborers, which has long borne good fruit in Nova Scotia.

After the unfortunate disaster caused by the breaking of the dam at Lake Charles, the works were inspected. And in the years 1835 and 1836, a most elaborate survey, with plans, estimates and report, was made to the order of Charles R. Fairbanks, Esq. It was estimated that the cost of the works would be four hundred and eighty seven thousand three hundred and seventy five pounds.

The mortgage made by the company to the British government was now foreclosed and by a deed in chancery it was conveyed to the province of Nova Scotia on 11th of June, 1851. The properties not covered by the mortgage were sold in the following year to satisfy judgment, and the whole was purchased for the Province by Hon. Mc Nab as trustee.

In 1853, the Inland Navigation Company was incorporated, having a capital of thirty thousand pounds. It purchased from the government of Nova Scotia the property and works of the late Shubenacadie Canal Company. The opening of the canal was again proceeded with, under the direct supervision of the new company’s engineer, Charles William Fairbanks, Esq. All their cash, twenty thousand pounds, having been expended, the company was obliged to borrow money by mortgage of all their property. The canal progressed very slowly, but in 1861 it opened for business throughout. A steam vessel of sixty tons, the Avery, named after the president of the company, Dr. James F. Avery, having cleared at the custom house, Halifax reported, via the canal, at Maitland, and returned again to Halifax Harbour.

On the 11th of June, 1862, the whole property and works were sold by the sheriff. They were purchased by a company called, the Lake and River Navigation Company. No boats were provided by this company, but private individuals placed on the canal three steamboats and twelve scows, together with one eighty ton barge. Consequently some business was done. A large quantity of timber was delivered at Halifax, also many thousand cords of wood, with building materials, coal and supplies for the gold mine were transported from Halifax. The Canal was thus worked at a small profit by the Lake and River Navigation Company, until they sold the property in February, 1870, for $50,000. Lewis Piers Fairbanks, Esq. was the purchaser. It was again doomed to go to destruction. Gold was discovered at the summit reservoir, and the Mines Department without any regard to the rights of the owner of the canal-lands there, disputed Mr. Fairbanks title, and the effect of the Provincial Government deed made by the Hon. James McNab, trustee for the province in 1875. One thousand dollars in damages were awarded to Mr. Fairbanks against the government for trespass. While this matter was under consideration, the drawbridge at Waverly was removed by the provincial authorities, and a fixed bridge erected in its place. This was a bar against all passage. The Dominion Railway or Public Works Department removed the bridge at Enfield, and replaced it by another bridge, whose girders were so low as to prevent the passage of a boat on the River Station. the owner, harassed by persons opulent and in high places, was obliged to realize the fact , that the completion of this inland river communication did not fulfill in any degree the expectations so earnestly expressed by Sir John Wentworth in regard to the great improvement to the “revenge and morals” of the country.

And that’s the story of the Shubenacadie Canal. Perhaps it’s just as well. If the Dartmouth Lakes had become a commercial waterway, thousands of people would have lost one of the finest playgrounds-camping sites and residential sections. And my only hope is, that the town fathers will see to it that it is kept beautiful, and that a large section will always be available to the John Q. Public and his family to enjoy themselves in God’s fresh air amidst such gorgeous scenery.