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Sunset Side of Cape Breton 2012
Vibrant town still writing its history
Port Hawkesbury is a major commercial and recreation centre located on the shores of the Strait of Canso that celebrates itself each summer with the Festival of the Strait with activities that can include sailing and canoe races, outdoor concerts, dances and craft shows. The town itself has much to celebrate year-round with easy access to swimming in the community pool, tennis, golfing, hiking, sailing and other activities. With year-round services including accommodations, banks, restaurants, shopping malls, a liquor store and museums, Port Hawkesbury today reflects its long history dating back to 1789, a beginning that tested the mettle of the first settlers, and they tested well. People spent those first winters tending livestock, exporting timber, and trapping muskrat and caribou. In the spring, oil from dogfish, cod and seal was collected for the export trade to England. Gypsum from the Strait of Canso
was being shipped to the southern United States. By the 1830s, shipbuilding and fishing created new opportunities for employment, giving smaller businesses a reason to open. Local courts were established in 1831 to serve the needs of the people, who previously had to travel to Sydney for their ordinary legal work. By the 1880s, Port Hawkesbury was gaining quite a reputation as a seafaring port, and the waterfront was bustling with activity created by businessmen. In 1889, with a population of 658, the Town of Port Hawkesbury was incorporated. The only way to cross the Strait of Canso was by boat. Numerous ferries operated over the years, many of them being private. The arrival of the railroads in the 1890s marked a new era and changed traditional routes, with railroad ferries running between the mainland and the island, keeping a constant means
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of travel and transportation of goods available. The railway became an important employer. Ferry and rail service to the Island continued through the six decades, until August 1955 when the Canso Causeway opened. Many opposed the building of the Causeway as it meant an end to the ferries and the rail businesses of the day which so many people relied on. Although the causeway did close some doors, it opened up many more. By the 1960s and `70s, the people of the Strait of Canso found themselves in one of Canada’s most rapidly developing areas. With the Causeway in place, Port Hawkesbury now boasts an ice-free, deep-water port to attract business. Georgia-Pacific, Statia Terminals, USG, a power plant, and Sable Offshore Oil Co. are some of the industries which have located in the area. Port Hawkesbury continues to grow and prosper today.
Welcome to the Sunset Side of Cape Breton
Two offices to serve you 304 Reynolds St., Port Hawkesbury, NS B9A 2Z5
toll free 888.625.0302 9978 Grenville St., St. Peters, NS B0E-3B0
Toll Free 877.535.2485
Tel. 738.3038
www.centum.ca/causeway www.capebretonrealty.com
Rodger Cuzner, M.P.
Cape Breton-Canso
1.866.282.0699
Email. rodger.cuzner.c1@parl.gc.ca
Website: rodgercuzner.liberal.ca