Did You Know?


In his book, Natural Selections: National Parks in Atlantic Canada 1935-1970, Alan MacEachern stated that most parks created at that time were created for political and economic reasons to supply underperforming areas with employment. Many of the new parks were to feature golf courses which could provide a variety of jobs. Further, the CBH National Park was initially proposed as an automobile tourism park as most of the area was not populated and the newly created Cabot Trail was (and still is) to be the major attraction. To this day, the vast majority of visitors to the Park participate in activities or sites close to the highway. As an aside, he suggested that the NS Government favoured a park because the Federal Government would be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the new highway - The Cabot Trail.


  • In the Ipsos Reid poll, of October 22-26, 2015, commissioned by Historica Canada, 80% of Canadians said they wanted a memorial to our fallen in Canada and that it be similar to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC which does not glorify war. The Never Forgotten National Memorial is such a Memorial.
  • A poll commissioned by the Bank of Canada regarding a new $20 bill discovered that many Canadians did not know that the Vimy Memorial existed and thought the verso of the the bill was an homage to the Twin Towers of New York City.
  • During expropriation for the CB Highlands National Park, 70 private parcels of land were acquired by the NS government; only 8 property owners received more than $1000.00. One of those, Jim Donovan, took the Province to court over the $1200 he received only to have it reduced by the presiding judge to $1000.
  • That the NS Provincial Government turned over what was known as "The Big Lease " that stretched across Victoria and Inverness Counties to create most of the Park .
  • The farming culture in this area of Victoria County was subsequently lost because of the expropriation. 
  • Susan Doucette Brewer (1848-1941), a Metis lady, lived in a log cabin at the #11 hole on the golf course at Ingonish Beach
  • Mary (Cooke) Lebreque and Clyburn Donovan were the last girl and boy to be born in the Clyburn Valley.
  • Hack Brewer was born at Green Cove.
  • There has been a record of settlement at Green Cove since the 1850's.
  • A hectare is almost 2.5 acres. The area of the CB Highlands Park is 94,900 hectares. The Black Brook Granitic Suite is 26,000 hectares.The Never Forgotten National Memorial site is 1 hectare.
  • The Environment Minister is denying Parks Canada the opportunity to fulfill its cultural heritage mandate for the CB Highlands National Park over 0.001% of the Park's area.
  • While WWI Veteran, Thomas Doucette, was having his farm expropriated, 3 of his children were engaged in the WWII effort.
  • Tarbot, Victoria County native, Alexander Kerr, was on R&R behind the front lines when he encountered a fellow Cape Bretoner from Glace Bay. The Bay Boy shared a month old edition of the Cape Breton Post - it was then that Alex learned his brother, John Dan Kerr, had been killed in action in Italy on Dec. 13, 1943! 
  • Six young servicemen, were all under 13 when they enlisted in the Armed Forces between 1936-1939. They were on record as being 9, 11or 12 when they enlisted. The "men" who were career soldiers are named Wing Commander W.Taylor, Flt. Sgt. J. C. Baker, Col. W. M. Alton, Maj. R. Hampton, Sgt D. O. Hofkis, and Flt. Sgt. C. F. Page.
  • If you were to stack the Death Certificates of more than 114, 000 of Our Fallen who did not return home, the stack would reach a height over 75 feet; taller than Mother Canada. 

  • Canada and the Netherlands have a special relationship resulting from actions during World War II when Canadian forces led the liberation of the Netherlands. Every year the Dutch Government gifts Canada with tulips as a thank you for liberating them.

Do you know the story of the Clyburn Valley land expropriation as told by Maurice & Emma Donovan whose land was expropriated? 


Read More:  Stories from The Clyburn Valley

For The Historically Inclined


  • Cape Breton's Magazine  ~ Ron Caplan
  • "Cape Bretoners in the First World War: In Their Own Words" ~ Ron Caplan
  • "Up The Humber And To The West: My Metis Voyageurs" ~ Joanne Doucette
  • "Natural Selections: National Parks in Atlantic Canada, 1935-1970" ~ Alan MacEachern
  • "In The Morning: Veterans of Victoria County: ~ Edited by Bonnie Thornhill and James MacDonald
  • "A Better Rock" ~ Fred Williams
  • "Ingonish Roots" ~  Lawrence Barron
  • "Molly O'Brien: The Irish Famine" ~ Lawrence Barron
  • The Boys From Nova Scotia
  • Books By James MacDonald:
    • "A Tribute to Sgt. Daniel John Morrison, 1888-1917"
    • "Patterson`s History of Victoria County"
    • "A Bibliography of The Victoria Cross"
    • "A Bibliography of Victoria County, NS"
    • "Honour Roll of The Nova Scotia Overseas Highland Brigade"
    • "The Nominal Roll and The Honour Roll of the 25th Battalion"

Can you identify these world  famous icons?


These are terms that were published in newspapers of the day, to describe these icons.


Gash of shame, degrading ditch, wailing wall, nihilistic slab of stone, open grave   __________

Giddy, ridiculous, confused, deformed, barbaric bulk, ghastly dream, useless and monstrous   __________

Gigantic stone, colossal patch, hideous, terrifying, monstrous   __________

Tawdry, garish, hideous, sentimental schlock, vulgar, ostentatious, ghoulish   __________


For correct answers to these icon descriptions click on this link:      ANSWERS