Part 20
Out in the Atlantic in the direction of Newfoundland, about 15 miles north-east of Cape North, is the rocky island of St. Paul’s. It is right in the highway of ocean travel to and from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Many wrecks have happened here, with the loss of thousands of lives. A hundred years ago as seamen approached the Island, they used to keep a look-out for the sight of the immense flocks of sea-fowl known as the great auk. These birds, now extinct, used to keep inshore; and never ventured out to sea. They were thus a sure indication of the proximity of land. They were so innocent that sailors could draw near and capture them by the boat-load. They were about as large as a goose, with short wings, coal black head and back, white beneath, and a milk-white spot under the right eye. Of negligible value in those days, a stuffed specimen of the great auk to-day is worth fifteen hundred dollars. The island has now lost most of its dangers, for the sailor of to-day sees the bright flashes from the lighthouse when nearly twenty miles out at sea, while in thick weather he is warned by the fog-gun. A splendid series of drives may be taken from Baddeck, by way of Hunter’s Mountain, and through the Wagamatcook or Middle River district, by Lake O’Law, to Margaree Forks and Margaree Harbor on the west coast. No scenery can charm more than this—it is delightful. The Middle River waters are exceedingly pretty, the valley is a beautiful one, and the pastoral scenes are as fresh and enjoyable as can be. There is a comfortable and homelike hostelry in this district. The Margaree River, a splendid salmon stream, is full of romantic interest, for it affords a constant succession of charming views, and here, too, everything is fresh and smiling. None may pass through such spots without enjoying to the full that feeling of exhilaration that accompanies the sight of such a wealth of all that is beautiful in nature.
The drive may be prolonged to Cheticamp, by putting up overnight at places between Baddeck, Middle River, Margaree, etc. It is an Acadian fishing village, the inhabitants of which have lived their simple lives for more than two centuries undisturbed by all that goes on in the outer world. The interior country is beautiful, and is much diversified by streams of the clearest water. This, too, although remote, is a favorite spot for the nature-lover who would see the quiet life of the people in such far-away settlements. There is much that is picturesque in the region of the hilly Cheticamp valley, and it is a district that will also be opened up in due time on account of the gold and other minerals that have been found there.
The return to Baddeck may be made by way of Inverness, Strathlorne, Lake Ainslie, Mabou and Port Hood, in which event it is not much out of the way to include Whycocomagh in the circuit. Or the journey may temporarily end at Whycocomagh, and that place be chosen as a centre from which to see the surrounding country, without the necessity of returning to Baddeck. As there is a steamer from Baddeck to Whycocomagh, and as it is a very enjoyable trip, made pleasant by the fine scenery on the way, many may prefer to see the east coast and central districts from Baddeck, and then view the west coast, middle-west and south-west districts from Whycocomagh.
The scenery in and around Whycocomagh is very beautiful, and its picturesque bay has been called the “Naples of America.” The country round about is most varied, and from the top of Salt Mountain a splendid view is commanded; nor is it necessary to climb that height unless so disposed, for the scenery by the shores of the bay is exceedingly fine. Whycocomagh is an ideal centre for boating and canoeing, and here, as at Baddeck, splendid opportunities exist for enjoyable cruises by motor-boat. There is bathing also, and fishing; and many pleasant days may be spent at this peaceful little resort.
Port Hood, Mabou and Lake Ainslie are all within convenient reach by carriage. Port Hood has coal mines, a safe harbor, and is the centre of a good farming district. Mabou is one of Cape Breton’s most characteristic little places, and the scenery all through this neighborhood is charming. The town itself is very quaint and enjoyable, while the river and woodland walks and drives are all excellent. There is a very comfortable little hotel here, and a restful vacation may well be spent in this pleasant place as a centre for a series of quiet excursions in quest of nature’s beauties. The Trout River and Lake Ainslie are also good objectives for drives and rambles, for the scenery in this region is full of charm.
Returning to Whycocomagh, and taking the steamer to Baddeck, and through the Bras d’Or Lake to St. Peter’s Canal at its southern outlet, a stay may be made in quiet St. Peter’s, the Port Toulouse of olden days, to enjoy its calm and tranquil summer life. This place was formerly known as Port Toulouse and was one of the fortified trading stations founded by N. Denys. It may be well to note here that several places on this coast, though still retaining their French names, are now exclusively peopled by the Scotch. While the scenery of the south coast districts does not compare with that of other parts of the island, the neighborhood of St. Peter’s is a thoroughly pleasant one. From here excursions may be made to the beautiful island-studded body of water known as Loch Lomond, to L’Ardoise and also to Arichat, Petit de Grat, and D’Escousse, on the island known as Isle Madame. Here the visitor will find himself in another world—the Acadian world of long ago; and the quaint life so different from that of a few hundred miles south cannot fail to make a lasting impression on the minds of all that sojourn for a while in these remote little outposts.
The return to Point Tupper and Mulgrave may be made either by rail or steamer.
There are splendid fishing rivers in Cape Breton, and fine trout streams are everywhere. Hunting, and shooting of wild birds, in season is excellent, too. Particulars relating to all Cape Breton outdoor sports will be found in the Chapter “Where to Go.”
_Where to Go—Recommended Places_
The choice of a vacation place suited to individual requirements is a matter of considerable importance, and for those planning to visit a country that is new to them, a brief description of the merits of various places will be very helpful. The amusements and recreations of each district are here given concisely. A preliminary study of this chapter will enable visitors to make intelligent choice of a locality best suited to their needs; and full particulars of any place under consideration may be read in the detailed description of the district finally chosen.
There are, of course, hundreds of delightful spots where happy vacations may be spent if the visitor has no preference for any particular recreation. As is well known, however, some prefer the shore, while others like the interior life by woodland and stream. Others again are happiest when in or near some fairly busy town centre, where some luxuries and a social life may be enjoyed. There are others who prefer the simple and inexpensive life of the quiet little village resort, and others yet who like the life of a fashionable watering place. Then those who delight in yachting, boating, canoeing, and all the pleasures of outdoor life, as well as fishing, etc., have their preferences; and the object of this chapter is to afford a ready choice from those places exactly suited to particular requirements.
After the visitor has become familiar with the attractions of the neighborhood selected, by actual residence there, he will be able to explore in every direction; and in this way many a charming place will be discovered that has in it the something for which he has always longed—the life, the atmosphere so difficult to describe and which appeal direct to the heart in some unexplained way.
It is so well understood that visitors come to the Maritime Provinces for summer pleasures—and not to make a display of dress as at Atlantic City and similar resorts—that all who wish to do so may wear plain and sensible attire, and be as unconventional as they please. Of course in a few centres, such as Quebec, Murray Bay, etc., fashionable costumes are in evidence; but even in these places plain and sensible costumes do not call for remark; and while it is not necessary to avoid the best hotels where richer people congregate, there are always other comfortable hotels and stopping-places where people of moderate means may live more quietly and be just as happy.
Those who make a short stay in any one place will have little time for social life; but, after the day’s pleasure is over, pleasant social intercourse may be enjoyed—in all but the smallest places—with those who are sojourning in the same locality. In the larger centres social life is quite an enjoyable feature of the summer vacation, and here, too, visitors mingle on the porches, etc. at night, and pass many pleasant hours in discussing the scenery and other features of the district. If making a stay of weeks or months at any one place, it is a good plan to have introductions to some of its leading people, as in this way many delightful hours will be spent in pleasant society. Canadian people are very hospitable, as a rule, and in many places of small and medium size, visitors will frequently be asked to participate in tennis, boating and driving, etc., as soon as they have settled down in summer quarters. In all places of any pretensions as summer resorts, golf, tennis, bathing, etc., are provided by the management of the principal stopping-places, and in such resorts the visitor enjoys such recreation without having to await an invitation from residents—as must necessarily be the case in small places where no public facilities of the kind are provided.
Where an asterisk * is inserted before the name of a place or district, under any heading such as “Historic Interest,” “Summer Vacation Life,” “Yachting,” “Canoeing,” etc., it denotes a place of commanding excellence for the enjoyment of that particular interest.
_Places of Historic Interest_:
*Quebec, Tadousac, St. John, Halifax, Annapolis Valley, Annapolis Royal, Louisbourg.
_Places that are Centres for the Enjoyment of Beautiful Scenery_:
*Quebec, *Murray Bay (via Riviere Ouelle), *Tadousac (via Riviere du Loup), Bic, Metis, *Causapscal, *Matapedia, Bathurst, Newcastle, Chatham, *Fredericton, *St. John, Montague River (P.E.I.), *Truro, *Wentworth Valley, *Halifax, *Chester, *Baddeck, St. Ann’s, *Ingonish, Mabou, *Whycocomagh.
_Places that are Centres for Romantic and Interesting Country_:
All of those in the preceding division, and Riviere du Loup, Campbellton, Dalhousie, *Charlo, Shelburne, Antigonish, Guysboro, Sydney, Middle River, *Margaree River, Cheticamp.
_Watering Places that are well frequented and where some life is going on, suited for those who like a little gaiety_:
*Murray Bay, *Tadousac. (For those who like life in cities, *Quebec, *St. John and *Halifax may be here included.)
_Watering Places of smaller size, where the usual quiet life of the small resort may be enjoyed_:
Riviere du Loup (Fraserville), Cacouna, Kamouraska, Bic, Rimouski, *Little Metis, Dalhousie, *Charlo, Jacquet River, Bathurst, Newcastle, Chatham, *Rothesay, *Fredericton, *Charlottetown, Summerside, *Chester, Antigonish, *Baddeck, Grand Narrows, *Ingonish, Montmorency.
_Watering Places of the smallest size, where very quiet days may be spent_:
*Causapscal, Folleigh, Pugwash, Pictou, Shediac, Tignish, Alberton, Tracadie, Souris, *Montague, Georgetown, Murray Harbor, St. Peters, Cheticamp, *Middle River, *Margaree Forks, *Mabou, *Chateau Richer.
_Small Places in which, although water is near, country features predominate_:
Montmagny, *Causapscal, *Jacquet River, *Folleigh, *Hampton, *Sussex, Petitcodiac, Boiestown, Doaktown, Blackville, Hunter River, *Bradalbane.
Yachting waters of most enjoyable character are found at Quebec and all St. Lawrence River resorts; and at *Campbellton, *Dalhousie, *Bathurst and other Bay of Chaleur points, including several places on the Gaspé peninsula; *Newcastle and *Chatham, on Miramichi Bay; *St. John and on the Lower St. John River; Charlottetown, Summerside, Murray Harbor, Georgetown and Souris on Prince Edward Island; Pugwash, Pictou and Mulgrave, in Northern Nova Scotia; *Halifax, St. Margaret’s Bay, *Chester and *Shelburne, on the South Shore; Guysboro and other harbors on the south-eastern shore; and on *Bras d’Or Lakes, *Baddeck, *Whycocomagh, *Sydney, St. Ann’s Bay and several harbors of the Cape Breton coast.
Motor-boating may always be enjoyed where good yachting waters are found, and hence all the places just enumerated as most suitable for yachting are also well adapted for motor-boating. The motor-boat being independent of the wind has an increased range of action, and on that account additional places are now named from which cruises may be made as a centre. As motor-boats are also able to move in more restricted water than the wind-propelled yacht, additional river places having pleasant cruising waters are here added, such as the *Saguenay, *Miramichi, *Fredericton, Kennebecasis River, the lower waters of the larger Prince Edward Island rivers, Mira River, Canso Strait, the splendid harbors and rivers east of Halifax, Minas Basin and on the waters of several of the large interior lakes accessible from or contiguous to convenient towns of fair size.
Quiet waters for pleasant boating amidst enjoyable surroundings will be found at every one of the numerous St. Lawrence River resorts from Quebec to Matane, on all of the fine rivers in the four provinces, in the Bay of Chaleur from *Matapedia, *Campbellton and *Dalhousie along the south shore of the Gaspé Peninsula as far as *Gaspé Bay, along the southern and eastern shores of Chaleur, along the whole interesting water front of the Northumberland Straits, and along the Bay of Fundy shore. As a matter of fact, good rowing waters are found within convenient reach of nearly every station on the Intercolonial Route, and all the places named in connection with yachting and motor-boating will be found to have suitable boating waters nearby.
One of the most enjoyable and healthful recreations is that of canoeing; and, as is well known, the canoeing waters of Quebec and the Maritime Provinces are without a rival in any part of the world. A whole lifetime of summers may be spent on these beautiful waters without exhausting the novelty and interest of scene that everywhere abounds. Every river of the four provinces has its canoeing attractions; and for a vacation of perfect delight no better plan can be followed than that of shipping a canoe over the Intercolonial Railway to the chosen centre of operations, and from there explore the district, to become acquainted with all its beauty and charm. All along the St. Lawrence River, and in its numerous tributaries, splendid canoeing waters are found. The great *St. John River, with its sparkling tributaries flowing through unfrequented woodland depths, is a superb highway full of romantic interest. The *Miramichi, *Nepisiguit, *Matapedia, *Tobique, *Restigouche, *Temiscouata and a host of other rivers in Nova Scotia (including Cape Breton) and Prince Edward Island give such a wealth of delightful canoeing waters that a choice is almost embarrassing. Nor must the smaller streams be passed by without notice, for in these also are found the wooded islands, murmuring rapids and sylvan retreats dear to the hearts of those who “paddle their own canoe.” There are hundreds of such places in the Maritime Provinces, and consequently a study of this book as a whole is recommended in order to make intelligent choice of that locality best suited to the tastes of the individual canoeist.
Tennis courts will be found in nearly all places larger than the small village of a few hundred inhabitants. In any place frequented by summer visitors the Tennis Clubs make provision for summer membership of visitors on payment of a small fee. In many places where no regular club has been established the privileges of the court are extended to visitors. In all of the summer resorts of the lower St. Lawrence excellent tennis facilities are provided, and this is true of the resorts of the provinces generally. In the small and restful stopping-places not yet known as resorts, but to which some summer visitors find their way, tennis courts are generally found—so universal has this healthful outdoor recreation become. It should not be forgotten that all through the Maritime Provinces the summer climate is so temperate that full enjoyment of tennis and outdoor sports brings with it none of the enervating fatigue inseparable from such recreation in warmer climes.
Golf links are not as commonly found as tennis courts, but nearly all summer hotels and resorts, other than the smallest, have made provision for the enjoyment of this exhilarating game. Some of the courses in the Maritime Provinces are the finest to be found anywhere; and there the game may be enjoyed with all the accompaniment of beautiful scenery, bracing air and romantic surroundings. Eastern Canada is the land of summer sports, where generous physical exercise may be taken without lassitude or undue fatigue; and in a game such as golf, where much ground must be covered, a cool climate greatly enhances the enjoyment of outdoor exercise.
The bathing waters of the provinces offer various temperatures to suit different classes of bathers. Leaving out of consideration river and lake bathing, the sea-bathing waters will be found to offer a considerable range of temperature. The inner waters of the *Bay of Chaleur, and the various places along the *Gaspé Peninsula, along the Northumberland Strait shore, and those of *Prince Edward Island generally, will be found best suited to the average bather. Many go to the St. Lawrence River resorts between Murray Bay and Little Métis because there the water is warmest. This is not river bathing as some might suppose, for even at Murray Bay resorts one bathes in the briny water of old ocean. As the St. Lawrence River reaches the Gulf it broadens to ocean proportions, and at *Little Métis and *Matane, and along the Gaspé shores, bathing in pleasantly-warmed sea water may be enjoyed. Prince Edward Island enjoys a reputation for pleasant bathing at a moderate temperature, but as the outer waters near Cape Breton are reached, an increasing coolness is noticeable, until the outer Atlantic shore is gained, and here, of course, the tidal water is the coldest, and best suited for those of robust physique. West and east of Halifax, however, there are numerous inner waters of lagoon or almost land-locked character, and many outer bay waters, too, where the sun warms the sand shoals at low tide, and where, consequently, warmer bathing may be enjoyed than that found on the open or outlying beaches.
The fishing waters of Eastern Canada are renowned all the world over. Who has not heard of the *Restigouche, *Miramichi, *St. John, *Nepisiguit, *Matapedia, *Tobique, *Upsalquitch, *Patapedia, *Godbout, *Bonaventure, *Cascapedia, *Margaree, and all that immense host of other rivers of various sizes that so liberally water the Maritime Provinces, and afford fishing sport of the best kind for those who love to catch the kingly salmon and princely trout.
The power of wealth is felt in the angling world, just as in other departments of life, and hence the most of the best fishing rights have been bought up by wealthy men and reserved for their own use and that of their friends and summer guests. But there are many places where the best of fishing may be had by previous arrangement, and other places, such as the *Charlo River in New Brunswick, where royal fishing may be enjoyed without permit other than the usual fishing license. The best plan is to read through “Summer Provinces by the Sea” so as to become acquainted with the country as a whole, and, after a district has been chosen, a letter of inquiry to the nearest Intercolonial Station Agent will elicit the latest and most accurate information on the fishing of the neighborhood. The “Fishing and Hunting” booklet issued by the Intercolonial Railway contains much valuable information relating to the fishing streams of the four provinces. This booklet will be forwarded from the offices of the Intercolonial Railway, Moncton, N.B., on application.
The joy of pitching a tent, and of living next to nature on the shore of the deep Atlantic, is a fascination that must lure increasing thousands from the crowded and stifling cities; and for those who desire more of the comforts of civilization, with a life as near nature as possible, there are bungalows by lake, river and sea where deep draughts of cool and invigorating air may be enjoyed on porches, or in living rooms that may be thrown open at will to admit every health-giving breeze that blows.
All of the places mentioned in the chapter “Summer Resorts of the Lower St. Lawrence,” and many places in their neighborhood, are suitable for bungalow and tent life, and well adapted for those who prefer the more quiet and inner sea waters; and many charmingly-placed summer homes will be found all through this attractive district, at *Murray Bay, *St. Irénée, Rivière du Loup, *Cacouna, *Bic, and Little Métis, etc. In New Brunswick, on the banks of the St. John and other rivers, on the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Bay of Fundy shores, and in the interior woodland by lake and waterfall are many finely-placed summer cottages and vacation homes that are half-shack, half-tent, and where a glorious outing may be enjoyed at only a nominal cost. Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island both provide ample variety for this kind of life, while the eastern extremity of Nova Scotia, the Island of Cape Breton, offers a wealth of beautifully situated and romantic sites for summer tent and bungalow that cannot be surpassed in any country of the world.