Jump To Content Jump To Navigation Jump To Site Map

Search

Back To Home Page

• About Us
• Contact Us
• Educational
• Partners
• Interactive

Main » Interactive » Timeline

Work Through Time Timeline

• Year: 1742
• Description: Father Maillard delivers the first mass on Mniku, an island off the shores of Potlotek (Chapel Island). Each summer, over two thousand Mi'kmaq people come to celebrate the feast of Saint Anne during the Chapel Island Mission. For Alexander (Santi) Marshall, it will be his duty to cut the tall island grass for the many who would arrive at their Mecca.
• Story: Mi’kmaq Work Poetry

• Year: 1760
• Description: Encouraged by the news of the abundant cod fishery in North America, Philip Robin and younger brothers John and Charles, along with other family members, the Pipons, form Robin, Pipon and Company and purchase the Seaflower, hoping to capitalize on the remains of French fishing establishments near Louisbourg.
• Story: Early Commerce in Isle Madame

• Year: 1785
• Description: The first permanent settlement is established on the North side of Sydney Harbour. Expatriates from former British Colonies along the Atlantic Seaboard make their new home on the North “Bar” of the harbour.
• Story: The Archibalds of North Sydney

• Year: 1786
• Description: Douce and Philippe Belhache marry on the Channel Island of Jersey before immigrating to Plaster Cove. When Philippe dies shortly after their arrival, Douce continues his shipping business.
• Story: Chez Douce: A day in the life of an entrepreneur, 1815

• Year: 1813
• Description: Thomas Archibald is born in Onslow, near Truro, and attends public school there and the publicly renowned Pictou Academy.
• Story: The Archibalds of North Sydney

• Year: 1818
• Description: Beginning in 1818 (and continuing for nearly 80 years), communications between mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island become the responsibility of the MacMillan family.
• Story: Gabarus to Port Hastings, the Telegraph in Cape Breton

• Year: 1838
• Description: The British government dispatches Samuel Cunard to St. Paul Island to find a suitable site to establish a lighthouse. Shortly before Christmas 1840, construction will be completed on lighthouses on the northeast and southwest sides of the island.
• Story: Keeper’s of the Light: Life on St. Paul Island

• Year: 1839
• Description: Alexander Munro and his wife, Catherine Weir Munro, arrive in Cape Breton from Scotland and set up the Boularderie Academy. By the end of the year sixty pupils will be enrolled in Munro’s classes.
• Story: The Schools of Boularderie

• Year: 1851
• Description: The census of 1851 shows that that six weaving and carding mills are operating across the island. By 1891 there will be 21 carding and fulling mills in operation in Cape Breton.
• Story: Cash’s Carding Mill – Textile Production in Rural Cape Breton

• Year: 1851
• Description: The Nova Scotia Electric Telegraph Company crosses the Strait of Canso with an overhead line, extending telegraph services to Port Hood and Sydney.
• Story: Gabarus to Port Hastings, the Telegraph in Cape Breton

• Year: 1863
• Description: The oldest business in Arichat, LeBrun’s I.G.A. is established as LeBrun’s Ltd by Jean M. LeBrun.
• Story: Early Commerce in Isle Madame

• Year: 1864
• Description: The Port Hastings telegraph office begins operations.
• Story: Gabarus to Port Hastings, the Telegraph in Cape Breton

• Year: 1867
• Description: Both the Munro’s house and the Boularderie Academy are destroyed by fire. A new home is built and in 1868 Alexander Munro is appointed Inspector of Schools for Victoria County.
• Story: The Schools of Boularderie

• Year: 1883
• Description: Cash’s carding mill is purchased second hand by Frank Cash, an Irish immigrant who settled in Cape Breton in the early 1800s. He son, Tom, will take over the carding business in 1921 and run it until 1946.
• Story: Cash’s Carding Mill – Textile Production in Rural Cape Breton

• Year: 1883
• Description: A forest fire sweeps through the Louisbourg area and destroys most of the wooden bridges and trestles on the Louisbourg side of the Sydney-Louisbourg Railway. This significantly shortens the life of the first S&L Railroad.
• Story: The S & L Railway

• Year: 1890
• Description: Canada’s Minister of the Interior, Sir Clifford Sifton, begins a vigorous campaign to attract new immigrants to meet the country’s employment needs. Many are encouraged to settle in Cape Breton and work in the coal and steel industries.
• Story: Coal in Cape Breton: the Growth of Industry and Immigration

• Year: 1892
• Description: Katharine McLennan is born. Katharine will go on to serve as Honourary Curator of the Louisbourg Museum after its opening in 1936.
• Story: A Short History of Katharine McLennan, Honourary Curator of the Louisbourg Museum

• Year: 1893
• Description: The Dominion Coal Company, headed by Boston industrialist H. M. Whitney, begins mining coal in Cape Breton.
• Story: Sydney Steel

• Year: 1895
• Description: The new S&L Railroad to Louisbourg is completed. Its completion coincides with a significant date in the town’s past – the 150th anniversary of the siege of 1745.
• Story: The S&L Railway

• Year: 1899
• Description: Under the direction of H. M. Whitney, construction of the Sydney Steel plant begins. The first heat will be poured on December 31, 1901.
• Story: Sydney Steel

• Year: 1900
• Description: In the early 1900s Jersey Island merchants establish businesses at D’Escousse, which coincides with the village’s flourishing port activities.
• Story: Early Commerce in Isle Madame

• Year: 1901
• Description: Women’s work opportunities outside the home are limited in the boom period of Sydney’s steel industry. The census of 1901 shows that only a few women did dressmaking and clerical jobs like bookkeeping.
• Story: Women’s Work in Whitney Pier

• Year: 1901
• Description: Mrs. Catherine Poirier (1901-1994) is born. Catherine will come to be included amongst the notables of the rug making business in part because of the originality of her designs.
• Story: The story of the hooked rugs of Chéticamp and their artisans

• Year: 1902
• Description: Mrs. Annie Chiasson (1902-1972) is born. Annie Chiasson will go on to make several large rugs for Miss Lillian Burke. She will even have the honour of being asked to make the largest rug ever produced in Chéticamp.
• Story: The story of the hooked rugs of Chéticamp and their artisans

• Year: 1903
• Description: The Robin store, built in 1795, is floated from the south side of the harbour to the main street of Arichat. The building consists of two wings with the store in the centre. Man and horse power accomplish its relocation without incident.
• Story: Early Commerce in Isle Madame

• Year: 1903
• Description: The first telegraph office in Gabarus begins operations in Herbert Gun’s store. It will later be moved to Captain Grant’s store and operated by Christine Grant.
• Story: Gabarus to Port Hastings, the Telegraph in Cape Breton

• Year: 1904
• Description: One of the largest groups of Ukrainian immigrants arrives to begin work at the Steel Plant in Sydney and coalmines in Glace Bay and Dominion. Other large groups of Ukrainians will arrive in 1907 and 1912.
• Story: Coal in Cape Breton: the Growth of Industry and Immigration

• Year: 1905
• Description: Kempt Head School is built in Upper Kempt Head at the corner of Matheson and Kempt Head Road.
• Story: The Schools of Boularderie

• Year: 1909
• Description: The demand for domestic workers in Canada makes the entry of West Indian Black women possible in the face of strict policies against Black immigration.
• Story: Women’s Work in Whitney Pier

• Year: 1909
• Description: The Dominion Iron and Steel Corporation (DISCO) is formed. DISCO will become a significant player in the expansion of Cape Breton industry.
• Story: Coal in Cape Breton: the Growth of Industry and Immigration

• Year: 1910
• Description: A. J. Morrison and D. L. Morrison open a lobster cannery in Wreck Cove. The cannery will operate until 1939.
• Story: Lobster Canning Factories Around Cape Breton

• Year: 1910
• Description: The Commission on Hours of Labour concludes that foreign and Newfoundland labourers are “exploited to a greater degree than the native men”.
• Story: Sydney Steel

• Year: 1912
• Description: At this time on Isle Madame it cost $1.35 for a pair of men’s tan boots or a pair of women’s dongola oxfords. Wages at this time are equally low - men at the Portland Fish Packing Company in Arichat can expect to earn just $0.20 per hour.
• Story: Early Commerce in Isle Madame

• Year: 1914
• Description: Mrs. Élizabeth Lefort-Hansford (1914-2005) is born. After creating rugs for a number of years, Élizabeth will be able to hook 55 loops a minute, 3,300 in an hour, 26,400 in an 8-hour day and 158,400 in six days.
• Story: The story of the hooked rugs of Chéticamp and their artisans

• Year: 1918
• Description: Black miners in the Sterling area of Glace Bay found a branch of the “University Negro Improvement Association” and the “African Community League”.
• Story: Coal in Cape Breton: the Growth of Industry and Immigration

• Year: 1923
• Description: Recollections of the 1923 strike tell of the police and the barbed wire and military tents at the steel plant. There were pitched battles and a machine gun was placed on a roof to protect plant property.
• Story: Sydney Steel

• Year: 1924
• Description: Construction of the gypsum mine in Ingonish beach begins in May of 1924. Gypsum mining is one of the most common forms of mining.
• Story: Industry North

• Year: 1929
• Description: The United Maritime Fishermen’s union is formed. The union acts as a marketing and bargaining agent for fishermen and cannery co-ops seeking fair prices for lobsters.
• Story: Lobster Canning Factories Around Cape Breton

• Year: 1930
• Description: Sword fishing is one of the largest industries North of Smokey in the 1930s and 1940s. It is a lucrative way for fishermen to make money from July to September.
• Story: Industry North

• Year: 1930
• Description: Hughie Beaton moves his blacksmith shop from Beaton Road to Little Judique. For many years Hughie will shoe horses, build coffins and even offer haircuts out of his shop.
• Story: The Village Blacksmith

• Year: 1932
• Description: The second schoolhouse in Mill Creek opens its doors to students. The first Mill Creek schoolhouse, near the Point Aconi mine, burnt down in the summer of 1931.
• Story: The Schools of Boularderie

• Year: 1932
• Description: The second schoolhouse in Mill Creek opens its doors to students. The first Mill Creek schoolhouse, near the Point Aconi mine, burnt down in the summer of 1931.
• Story: Mi’kmaq Work Poetry

• Year: 1933
• Description: From 1933 to 1954 a gypsum quarry operates in Dingwall. The quarry will close down from 1940 to 1945 because of World War Two, but by that time gypsum is already getting harder to mine.
• Story: Industry North

• Year: 1933
• Description: The Maryville Cooperative Cannery is formed. It is the first co-operative cannery in the area and is built by the community. It will be destroyed by a storm in 1953.
• Story: Lobster Canning Factories Around Cape Breton

• Year: 1939
• Description: A rare period of equality occurs during the Second World War as many Whitney Pier women are able to work at the Steel Plant. They work in a variety of jobs from the coke ovens to the bar mill.
• Story: Women’s Work in Whitney Pier

• Year: 1942
• Description: The cold pack is introduced in the lobster processing industry -allowing canneries to produce ‘chilled meat’ which can be sold for more than canned meat.
• Story: Lobster Canning Factories Around Cape Breton

• Year: 1944
• Description: Joe van de Hoogen is born in Holland, twelve years before his family will immigrate to Cape Breton.
• Story: Dairy Farming in Rankinville

• Year: 1947
• Description: Mrs. Mildred “Mid” Gray becomes the local agent for the Government Telephone and Telegraph Service in Gabarus. At this time, much of the Gabarus area is still without service of any kind.
• Story: Gabarus to Port Hastings, the Telegraph in Cape Breton

• Year: 1948
• Description: William (Billy) G. Budge is born in the small fishing village of Neil’s Harbour on the northern tip of Cape Breton. In later years, Billy will move with his family to St. Paul Island where they will live at the southwest light station in almost total isolation.
• Story: Keeper’s of the Light: Life on St. Paul Island

• Year: 1949
• Description: William (Billy) G. Budge is born in the small fishing village of Neil’s Harbour on the northern tip of Cape Breton. In later years, Billy will move with his family to St. Paul Island where they will live at the southwest light station in almost total isolation.
• Story: David Jones, Printing in Port Hood

• Year: 1950
• Description: Power lines arrive in Main-à-Dieu. Postwar technologies will soon replace ice houses and wood stoves; cornerstones of a way of life far removed from today’s “flick of a switch” lifestyle.
• Story: The Boats of Main- à-Dieu

• Year: 1954
• Description: After attending St. Francis Xavier University and beginning a career in broadcasting with CBC, Terry MacLellan returns to the island to replace the retired Betty Brown on CJCB’s Women’s Morning Program.
• Story: Terry MacLellan: The First Lady of Cape Breton

• Year: 1955
• Description: After returning from the Second World War and not being able to find steady employment, Billy Budge’s father accepts the position of lighthouse keeper on St. Paul Island.
• Story: Keeper’s of the Light: Life of St. Paul Island

• Year: 1956
• Description: Furnace crews at the Sydney Steel Plant pour 49,000 tons of steel without an “off-heat” a record yet to be matched anywhere.
• Story: Sydney Steel

• Year: 1956
• Description: The Maasdam arrives in Halifax from Holland and the van de Hoogen family makes its way through immigration. The following day they board a train for Port Hawkesbury, en route to Mabou, their final destination.
• Story: Dairy Farming in Rankinville

• Year: 1959
• Description: Telegraph service in Gabarus is terminated, leaving only a few private telephones with Louisbourg as their central. In May 1961, the Maritime Telegraph and Telephone Company will begin service in Gabarus.
• Story: Port Hastings to Gabarus, the Telegraph in Cape Breton

• Year: 1963
• Description: After nearly 70 memorable years of carrying workers, picnickers and shoppers, the passenger service of the S&L Railway is discontinued.
• Story: The S&L Railway

• Year: 1966
• Description: The Big Bank Schoolhouse, built in 1867, closes its doors.
• Story: The Schools of Boularderie

• Year: 1967
• Description: On “Black Friday,” October 13, 1967, Hawker-Siddeley announces that it is closing the Steel Plant. The protest that followed is part of the folklore of industrial Cape Breton.
• Story: Sydney Steel

• Year: 1969
• Description: Barry Bernard's grandparents run a basket shop out of their home in Whycocomagh. It is a part of their livelihood as basketweavers.
• Story: Barry Bernard, Eelfishing in Eskasoni

• Year: 1970
• Description: While the mercury scare in the 1970s may have hurt the sword fishing industry, it is the long liners that end it for good.
• Story: Industry North

• Year: 1971
• Description: Anne Morrell Robinson moves to North East Margaree from Pennsylvania. She and her husband set up a small farm and Anne quilts in the evenings.
• Story: Anne Morrell Robinson: Quilting in Kingross

• Year: 1971
• Description: Katherine McLennan receives a Honourary Doctor of Laws from St. Francis Xavier University. In 1972 she will be invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada.
• Story: A Short History of Katherine McLennan, Honourary Curator of the Louisbourg Museum

• Year: 1972
• Description: Katherine McLennan receives a Honourary Doctor of Laws from St. Francis Xavier University. In 1972 she will be invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada.
• Story: A Short History of Katherine McLennan, Honourary Curator of the Louisbourg Museum

• Year: 1972
• Description: Terry MacLellan leaves her career with CJCB for a position as Director of Tourism with the Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO). Her work will culminate in her promotion to Director of Corporate Affairs in 1980, a position she will hold until her death in 1985.
• Story: Terry MacLellan: First Lady of Cape Breton

• Year: 1973
• Description: Barry Bernard goes eelfishing with his grandfather for the first time. Eelfishing remains a significant part of Barry's family for years to come.
• Story: Barry Bernard, Eelfishing in Eskasoni

• Year: 1987
• Description: The modernization and downsizing of SYSCO begins, to be followed by the complete closure of the coke ovens, the last cast of the blast furnace and the last heat of the open hearth.
• Story: Sydney Steel

• Year: 1995
• Description: After many years of letter writing, petitioning and legal enquires, the Louisbourg Cross is returned to the Louisbourg Museum on a long-term loan from Harvard University. Katherine McLennan frequently used her contacts and financial resources to locate and retrieve artifacts from the time of French occupation, much as she did with the Louisbourg Cross.
• Story: Sydney Steel

• Year: 2009
• Description: On May 15, Main-à-Dieu’s fleet of lobster fishing boats leaves the shore for the beginning of another lobster fishing season.
• Story: The Boats of Main-à-Dieu

Site Map