58-647: Ingonish is a popular tourist destination in Victoria County , Cape Breton Island , Nova Scotia , Canada. The regional economy is tied to fishing and tourism. Tourist facilities include Cape Breton Highlands National Park , the Keltic Lodge , a downhill skiing centre, and a public golf course, the Highlands Links . The name may be from the Portuguese or Mi'kmaq languages. French explorer Nicolas Denys visited
116-511: A tectonic plate and attached by accretion or suture to crust lying on another plate. Each of these has its own distinctive geologic history, which is different from that of the surrounding areas. The southern half of the island formed from the Avalon terrane , which was once a microcontinent in the Paleozoic era. It is made up of volcanic rock that formed near what is now called Africa. Most of
174-459: A change of -0.4% from its 2011 population of 7,115. Fishing and tourism are the main industries. Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (French: île du Cap-Breton , formerly île Royale ; Scottish Gaelic : Ceap Breatainn or Eilean Cheap Bhreatainn ; Mi'kmaq : Unamaꞌki ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of
232-511: A colony on Unama'ki at Baleine, Nova Scotia , and Alexander's son, William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling , established the first incarnation of "New Scotland" at Port Royal ( Annapolis Royal ). These claims, and larger ideals of European colonization were the first time the island was incorporated as European territory, though it would be several decades later that treaties would actually be signed. However, no copies of these treaties exist. These Scottish triumphs, which left Cape Sable as
290-510: A map of 1516, as C(abo) dos Bretoes , and became the general name for both the island and the cape toward the end of the 16th century. Cape Breton Island's first residents were likely archaic maritime natives, ancestors of the Mi'kmaq people . These peoples and their progeny inhabited the island (known as Unama'ki) for several thousand years and continue to live there to this day. Their traditional lifestyle centred around hunting and fishing because of
348-598: A total of 10,311 square kilometres (3,981 sq mi) in area. It lies in the southeastern extremity of the Gulf of St. Lawrence . Cape Breton is separated from the Nova Scotia peninsula by the very deep Strait of Canso . The island is joined to the mainland by the Canso Causeway . Cape Breton Island is composed of rocky shores, rolling farmland, glacial valleys, barren headlands, highlands, woods and plateaus. The island
406-577: A village, the name of which is not known, located according to some historians at what is now Ingonish on the island's northeastern peninsula. These fishermen traded with the local population but did not maintain a permanent settlement. This Portuguese colony's fate is unknown, but it is mentioned as late as 1570. During the Anglo-French War of 1627 to 1629, under King Charles I , the Kirkes took Quebec City , James Stewart, 4th Lord Ochiltree , planted
464-493: A vital supply of coal for Halifax throughout the war. The British began developing the mining site at Sydney Mines in 1777. On 14 May 1778, Major Hierlihy arrived at Cape Breton. While there, Hierlihy reported that he "beat off many piratical attacks, killed some and took other prisoners." A few years into the war, there was also a naval engagement between French ships and a British convoy off Sydney, Nova Scotia, near Spanish River (1781), Cape Breton. French ships, fighting with
522-707: Is Carboniferous sedimentary with limestone , shale, and sandstone. Many fluvial remains from are glaciation found here. Mining has been ongoing for centuries, and more than 500 mine openings can be found, mainly in the east. Karst topography is found in Dingwall, South Harbour, Plaster Provincial Park, along the Margaree and Middle Rivers, and along the north shore of Lake Ainslie. The presence of gypsum and limestone increases soil pH and produces some rich wetlands which support giant spear , tufted fen , and other mosses , as well as vascular plants like sedges . This ecosystem
580-445: Is also prone to intense nor'easters – mid-latitude cyclones that approach from the U.S. Northeastern and New England states, bringing high winds and heavy precipitation, especially snowfall. As winter progresses, the surrounding waters become covered in ice which delays the onset of spring. Summer arrives quickly though, usually in mid to late June. The cold spring gives way to a beautiful summer, with lots of warm, sunny days. In summer,
638-456: Is characterized by a number of elevations of ancient crystalline and metamorphic rock rising up from the south to the north, and contrasted with eroded lowlands. The bedrock of blocks that developed in different places around the globe, at different times, and then were fused together via tectonics . Cape Breton is formed from three terranes . These are fragments of the Earth's crust formed on
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#1732851950424696-535: Is commemorated by Cape Breton's Cabot Trail , and by the Cabot's Landing Historic Site & Provincial Park, near the village of Dingwall . The local Mi'kmaq peoples began trading with European fishermen when the fishermen began landing in their territories as early as the 1520s. In about 1521–22, the Portuguese under João Álvares Fagundes established a fishing colony on the island. As many as two hundred settlers lived in
754-562: Is found. Wetter areas have tamarack , and black spruce . The weather station at Ingonish records more rain than anywhere else in Nova Scotia. Behind barrier beaches and dunes at Aspy Bay are salt marshes . The Aspy, Clyburn, and Ingonish rivers have all created floodplains which support populations of black ash, fiddle head fern, swamp loosestrife , swamp milkweed , southern twayblade , and bloodroot . Red sandstone and white gypsum cliffs can be observed throughout this area. Bedrock
812-649: Is often referred to as Industrial Cape Breton . Cape Breton Island takes its name from its easternmost point, Cape Breton. This may have been named after the Gascon fishing port of Capbreton , but more probably takes its name from the Bretons of northwestern France. A Portuguese mappa mundi of 1516–20 includes the label "terra q(ue) foy descuberta por Bertomes" in the vicinity of the Gulf of St Lawrence, which means "land discovered by Bretons". The name "Cape Breton" first appears on
870-416: Is present-day Englishtown (1629) and St. Peter's (1630). These settlements lasted only one generation, until Nicolas Denys left in 1659. The island did not have any European settlers for another fifty years before those communities along with Louisbourg were re-established in 1713, after which point European settlement was permanently established on the island. Known as Île Royale ("Royal Island") to
928-585: Is spread throughout Cape Breton and is defined as hills and slopes 150-300m above sea level, typically covered with Acadian forest. It includes North Mountain , Kellys Mountain , and East Bay Hills . Forests in this area were cleared for timber and agriculture and are now a mosaic of habitats depending on the local terrain, soils and microclimate . Typical species include ironwood, white ash, beech, sugar maple, red maple, and yellow birch. The understory can include striped maple, beaked hazelnut , fly honeysuckle , club mosses and ferns . Ephemerals are visible in
986-584: The Aerial Experiment Association , financed by his wife Mabel Gardiner Hubbard . These efforts resulted in the first powered flight in Canada when the AEA Silver Dart took off from the ice-covered waters of Bras d'Or Lake . Bell also built the forerunner to the iron lung and experimented with breeding sheep. Marconi's contributions to Cape Breton Island were also quite significant, as he used
1044-587: The Cabot Strait . Its first Lieutenant-Governor was Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres (1784–1787) and his successor was William Macarmick (1787). A number of United Empire Loyalists emigrated to the Canadian colonies, including Cape Breton. David Mathews , the former Mayor of New York City during the American Revolution , emigrated with his family to Cape Breton in 1783. He succeeded Macarmick as head of
1102-611: The Gulf of Saint Lawrence with its western coast forming the eastern limits of the Northumberland Strait . The eastern and southern coasts front the Atlantic Ocean with its eastern coast also forming the western limits of the Cabot Strait . Its landmass slopes upward from south to north, culminating in the highlands of its northern cape. One of the world's larger saltwater lakes, Bras d'Or ("Golden Arm" in French), dominates
1160-575: The New Waterford power plant by striking miners led to a major union sentiment that persists to this day in some circles. William Davis Miners' Memorial Day continues to be celebrated in coal mining towns to commemorate the deaths of miners at the hands of the coal companies. The turn of the 20th century saw Cape Breton Island at the forefront of scientific achievement with the now-famous activities launched by inventors Alexander Graham Bell and Guglielmo Marconi . Following his successful invention of
1218-662: The Royal Canadian Navy in World War I through to the early years of World War II . Promotions for tourism beginning in the 1950s recognized the importance of the Scottish culture to the province, as the provincial government started encouraging the use of Gaelic once again. The establishment of funding for the Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts and formal Gaelic language courses in public schools are intended to address
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#17328519504241276-523: The 1850s, marked in 1851 by the full-rigged ship Lord Clarendon , which was the largest wooden ship ever built in Cape Breton. In 1820, the colony of Cape Breton Island was merged for the second time with Nova Scotia. This development is one of the factors which led to large-scale industrial development in the Sydney Coal Field of eastern Cape Breton County. By the late 19th century, as a result of
1334-576: The Americans, were re-coaling and defeated a British convoy. Six French and 17 British sailors were killed, with many more wounded. In 1784, Britain split the colony of Nova Scotia into three separate colonies: New Brunswick, Cape Breton Island, and present-day peninsular Nova Scotia, in addition to the adjacent colonies of St. John's Island (renamed Prince Edward Island in 1798) and Newfoundland . The colony of Cape Breton Island had its capital at Sydney on its namesake harbour fronting on Spanish Bay and
1392-581: The Bras d'Or watershed, Boularderie Island , and the Sydney coalfield. They include salt marshes, coastal beaches, and freshwater wetlands. Starting in the 1800s, many areas were cleared for farming or timber. Many farms were abandoned from the 1920s to the 1950s with fields being reclaimed by white spruce , red maple , white birch , and balsam fir . Higher slopes are dominated by yellow birch and sugar maple . In sheltered areas with sun and drainage, Acadian forest
1450-574: The County of Victoria The Municipality of the County of Victoria is a county municipality on Cape Breton Island , Nova Scotia , Canada . It provides local government to about 7,000 residents of the eponymous historical county except for the Wagmatcook 1 reserve. The municipal offices are in the village of Baddeck . Prior to European settlement, the area was sparsely inhabited by the Miꞌkmaq , who hunted in
1508-619: The French, the island also saw active settlement by France. After the French ceded their claims to Newfoundland and the Acadian mainland to the British by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, the French relocated the population of Plaisance, Newfoundland , to Île Royale and the French garrison was established in the central eastern part at Sainte Anne . As the harbour at Sainte Anne experienced icing problems, it
1566-589: The North American continent is moving westward, earthquakes tend to occur on the western edge of the continent. The warm summer humid continental climate is moderated by the proximity of the cold, oftentimes polar Labrador Current and its warmer counterpart the Gulf Stream , both being dominant currents in the North Atlantic Ocean. There are lowland areas in along the western shore, around Lake Ainslie,
1624-581: The Polletts Cove - Aspy Fault Wilderness Area north of Pleasant Bay , are likely part of the Canadian Shield , a large area of Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rock that forms the core of the North American continent. The Avalon and Bras d'Or terranes were pushed together about 500 million years ago when the supercontinent Gondwana was formed. The Blair River inlier was sandwiched in between
1682-530: The area in the 1600s, and he made note of the area's potential as a base of operations for French fishing fleets having good fishing though a harsh coastline and no safe harbour. In 1854, local farmers plowing a field found an Acadian chapel bell, upon which was inscribed: Pour la paroisse d’Inganiche jai ete nommee par Jean Decarette et par Francois Uril, parrain et marrain Le Josse Huet de St. Malo m’a faite. L’an 1729. An 1885 English translation reads: For
1740-421: The area's coal mines. Although winter conditions prevented the freeing of the prisoners, the mission did result in the capture of Mellish , a vessel carrying a vital supply of winter clothing intended for John Burgoyne 's troops in Canada. Major Timothy Hierlihy and his regiment on board HMS Hope worked in and protected the coal mines at Sydney Cape Breton from privateer attacks. Sydney, Cape Breton provided
1798-463: The area. French Jesuits settled at St. Anns in 1629. British settlement began in the 1700s after the territory was had been by France. In 1839, a property containing an inn, a tavern, and a post office was built in Baddeck. In 1841, Charles James Campbell opened a store, began shipbuilding, and developed coal mining. In 1851, Victoria County was split from Cape Breton County, and Baddeck became
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1856-519: The colony and served from 1795 to 1798. From 1799 to 1807, the military commandant was John Despard , brother of Edward . An order forbidding the granting of land in Cape Breton, issued in 1763, was removed in 1784. The mineral rights to the island were given over to the Duke of York by an order-in-council. The British government had intended that the Crown take over the operation of the mines when Cape Breton
1914-650: The edges of the plateau and rise to more than 500 metres at the centre. The area has broad, gently rolling hills bisected with deep valleys and steep-walled canyons. A majority of the land is a taiga of balsam fir, with some white birch, white spruce, mountain ash, and heart-leaf birch. The northern and western edges of the plateau, particularly at high elevations, resemble arctic tundra . Trees 30–90 high, overgrown with reindeer lichens , can be 150 years old. At very high elevations some areas are exposed bedrock without any vegetation apart from Cladonia lichens. There are many barrens, or heaths , dominated by bushy species of
1972-409: The faster shipping, expanding fishery and industrialization of the island, exchanges of people between the island of Newfoundland and Cape Breton increased, beginning a cultural exchange that continues to this day. The 1920s were some of the most violent times in Cape Breton. They were marked by several severe labour disputes. The famous murder of William Davis by strike breakers, and the seizing of
2030-458: The first British-sanctioned settlers on the island following the Seven Years' War were Irish, although upon settlement they merged with local French communities to form a culture rich in music and tradition. From 1763 to 1784, the island was administratively part of the colony of Nova Scotia and was governed from Halifax . The first permanently settled Scottish community on Cape Breton Island
2088-571: The fortress was demolished after the second siege in 1758. Île Royale remained formally part of New France until it was ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty of Paris in 1763. It was then merged with the adjacent British colony of Nova Scotia (present-day peninsular Nova Scotia and New Brunswick ). Acadians who had been expelled from Nova Scotia and Île Royale were permitted to settle in Cape Breton beginning in 1764, and established communities in northwestern Cape Breton, near Chéticamp , and southern Cape Breton, on and near Isle Madame . Some of
2146-436: The highest anywhere in Canada outside coastal British Columbia). Furthermore, Ingonish experiences its wettest months from November to January, with over 7.3 inches of precipitation each month, much of it falling as snow, while June and July are the driest months, but still averaging over 3.5 inches of precipitation each. The area is now prone to large rainstorms, and sometimes major flooding two to three times per year, usually in
2204-518: The island was tropical forest which later formed coal deposits. Much later, the land was shaped by repeated ice ages which left striations , till , U-shaped valleys , and carved the Bras d'Or Lake from the bedrock . Examples of U-shaped valleys are those of the Chéticamp , Grande Anse , and Clyburn River valleys. Other valleys have been eroded by water, forming V-shaped valleys and canyons . Cape Breton has many fault lines but few earthquakes. Since
2262-478: The island's centre. The total population at the 2016 census numbered 132,010 Cape Bretoners, which is approximately 15% of the provincial population. Cape Breton Island has experienced a decline in population of approximately 2.9% since the 2011 census. Approximately 75% of the island's population is in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM), which includes all of Cape Breton County and
2320-528: The island's geography to his advantage in transmitting the first North American trans-Atlantic radio message from a station constructed at Table Head in Glace Bay to a receiving station at Poldhu in Cornwall, England. Marconi's pioneering work in Cape Breton marked the beginning of modern radio technology. Marconi's station at Marconi Towers , on the outskirts of Glace Bay, became the chief communication centre for
2378-525: The months of February, August, and November. The highest 24-hour rainfall total recorded in Ingonish was on 23 November 2021 when the area received varying rainfall amounts of between 260 and 292 millimeters of rain in just 19 hours. Winters are long, cold, snowy and exceptionally stormy. In December and January, snow can fall nearly every day due to sea-effect snow showers which blow in from the unfrozen Gulf of St. Lawrence. Primarily from October to April, Ingonish
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2436-462: The near-loss of this culture to assimilation into Anglophone Canadian culture. In the 1960s, the Fortress of Louisbourg was partially reconstructed by Parks Canada , using the labour of unemployed coal miners. Since 2009, this National Historic Site of Canada has attracted an average of 90,000 visitors per year. The irregularly-shaped rectangular island is about 100 km wide and 150 long, for
2494-502: The northern half of the island is on the Bras d'Or terrane (part of the Ganderia terrane). It contains volcanic and sedimentary rock formed off the coast of what is now South America . The third terrane is the relatively small Blair River inlier on the far northwestern tip. It contains the oldest rock in the Maritimes, formed up to 1.6 billion years ago. These rocks, which can be seen in
2552-547: The only major French holding in North America, did not last. Charles I's haste to make peace with France on the terms most beneficial to him meant the new North American gains would be bargained away in the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye , which established which European power had laid claim over the territories. The French quickly defeated the Scots at Baleine , and established the first European settlements on Île Royale, which
2610-523: The parish of Ingonish I have been named by John Decarette and Francis Urail, Godfather and Godmother. The founder Huet made me in the year 1729. The bell was described as being "nearly as large around as an ordinary flour barrel" and weighed 586 pounds. It was ultimately lost after being sold to a foundry owner in Halifax. In another part of Ingonish, the remains of a second church were found. A small cannon of French origin, similar to those found at Neil's Harbour
2668-477: The province of Nova Scotia , Canada. The 10,311 km (3,981 sq mi) island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although the island is physically separated from the Nova Scotia peninsula by the Strait of Canso , the 1,385 m (4,544 ft) long Canso Causeway connects it to mainland Nova Scotia. The island is east-northeast of the mainland with its northern and western coasts fronting on
2726-552: The site for the new county's jail and court house, and later the site of Alexander Graham Bell 's Beinn Bhreagh , a summer residence and research centre, and the Bell Boatyard . Bell is commemorated at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site . The county is named for Queen Victoria . As a Census divisions of Canada in 2016, Victoria County had a population of 7,089 in 4,437 dwellings,
2784-463: The spring, such as Dutchman's breeches and spring beauty . In ravines, shade tolerant trees like hemlock , white pine, red spruce are found. Less well-drained areas are forested with balsam fir and black spruce. The Highlands comprise a tableland in the northern portions of Inverness and Victoria counties. An extension of the Appalachian mountain chain , elevations average 350 metres at
2842-491: The telephone and being relatively wealthy, Bell acquired land near Baddeck in 1885. He chose the land, which he named Beinn Bhreagh , largely due to its resemblance to his early surroundings in Scotland . He established a summer estate complete with research laboratories, working with deaf people including Helen Keller , and continued to invent. Baddeck would be the site of his experiments with hydrofoil technologies as well as
2900-627: The two when Laurussia was formed 450-360 million years ago, at which time the land was found in the tropics . This collision also formed the Appalachian Mountains . Associated rifting and faulting is now visible as the canyons of the Cape Breton Highlands . Then, during the Carboniferous period, the area was flooded, which created sedimentary rock layers such as sandstone , shale , gypsum , and conglomerate . Later, most of
2958-564: The unfavourable agricultural conditions of their maritime home. This ocean-centric lifestyle did, however, make them among the first Indigenous peoples to discover European explorers and sailors fishing in the St Lawrence Estuary. Italian explorer (sailing for the British crown) John Cabot reportedly visited the island in 1497. However, European histories and maps of the period are of too poor quality to be sure whether Cabot first visited Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island. This discovery
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#17328519504243016-520: The weather pattern shifts to a warm southwest flow, and lasts into the fall. These warm southwest winds blow down-slope from the Cape Breton Highlands, drying out and warming as it descends. Although the surrounding water freezes during winter, it warms very quickly through the summer, with sea surface temperatures peaking around 21 °C (70 °F) in August. The highest temperature ever recorded
3074-583: Was Judique , settled in 1775 by Michael Mor MacDonald. He spent his first winter using his upside-down boat for shelter, which is reflected in the architecture of the village's Community Centre. He composed a song about the area called "O 's àlainn an t-àite", or "O, Fair is the Place." During the American Revolution , on 1 November 1776, John Paul Jones , the father of the American Navy, set sail in command of Alfred to free hundreds of American prisoners working in
3132-492: Was 37.7 °C (99.9 °F) on 10 August 2001. The lowest temperature was −28.0 °C (−18.4 °F) on 18 January 1982. Weather data has been recorded at Parks Canada in Ingonish Beach since 1950. In 2000, Environment Canada upgraded the climate station to an automated weather station. 46°38′21″N 60°24′29″W / 46.63917°N 60.40806°W / 46.63917; -60.40806 Municipality of
3190-609: Was also found. According to an official report sent to the Board of Trade in 1749 by Captain Smith, commander of the guard ship at Canso, there were 48 schooners and 393 shallops fishing the grounds off Ingonish. The community's population at that time was estimated to be approximately 300. Mica was mined prior to the late 1800s. Ingonish has a humid continental climate ( Dfb ) with extremely high precipitation for this climate (annual average precipitation being 69 inches, or ~1358 millimeters,
3248-625: Was decided to build a much larger fortification at Louisbourg to improve defences at the entrance to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and to defend France's fishing fleet on the Grand Banks . The French also built the Louisbourg Lighthouse in 1734, the first lighthouse in Canada and one of the first in North America. In addition to Cape Breton Island, the French colony of Île Royale also included Île Saint-Jean , today called Prince Edward Island, and Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine . Louisbourg itself
3306-451: Was made a colony, but this was never done, probably because of the rehabilitation cost of the mines. The mines were in a neglected state, caused by careless operations dating back at least to the time of the final fall of Louisbourg in 1758. Large-scale shipbuilding began in the 1790s, beginning with schooners for local trade, moving in the 1820s to larger brigs and brigantines , mostly built for British ship owners. Shipbuilding peaked in
3364-512: Was one of the most important commercial and military centres in New France. Louisbourg was captured by New Englanders with British naval assistance in the Siege of Louisbourg (1745) and by British forces in 1758. The French population of Île Royale was deported to France after each siege. While French settlers returned to their homes in Île Royale after the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was signed in 1748,
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