Tag Archives: Balfron

Cultural Influence vs Political Boundaries

Planned future posts may drift outside of what many would believe to be the community of Earltown.  This post may help explain the reach of Earltown beyond its political boundaries in the 19th century.

When settlement of the area commenced in1813, municipal government was in its infancy.  Colchester and Pictou were districts within a sprawling Halifax County.  Surveys were then in progress and boundaries were somewhat fluid.  The first settlers in what is now Clydesdale likely were under the impression that they were still in the Pictou District.

In the case of the District of Colchester, local matters were handled by a body known as the Court of Sessions.  By 1817 the Court recognized Donald Ross, an early settler at Rossville, as the presumed leader in an area unofficially called New Portugal.  Ross was given some responsibilities such as road overseer and fence overseer, rather officious titles considering roads were still blazed paths in the forest and fences were piles of brush.  More interesting is Donald’s advance notice in 1818 of twenty five families expected to arrive in New Portugal in 1819 and the fact he would be guiding them to their potential grants.   In the meantime, surveyor Alexander Miller advanced the notion to the then governor, the Earl of Dalhousie, the name “Dalhousie” for the new settlement.  The Earl, concerned that there were already two other communities of that name, countered with “Earltown”.   The locals had no say in the matter.  The name New Portugal died a sudden death and more appropriate names such as New Rogart or Strathbrora never had a chance.

The hilly area separating the low-lying areas of the Minas Basin and Northumberland Strait was divided into two districts – New Annan in the west and Earltown in the east.  For the most part, the northern boundary was the southern boundary of the DesBarres grant of 1765.  The future county line with Pictou defined the east and the township of Onslow, including Kemptown, defined the south.

The DesBarres Estate with its gentler terrain and fertile river dales was operating under the owner’s dream of European-style feudal manor.  The arrivals from Sutherland in the clearance era were not interested in returning to the uncertainty of leases.  They had to be content with the steep and rocky slopes of Earltown.  New Annan, which mostly attracted lowland families, was not much better.  The end result was a tight-knit community of Scots from the eastern parishes of Sutherland and adjacent parishes in Ross.   In the case of The Falls and West Earltown, it was as if nothing changed for them other than the type of vegetation.

In addition to the newly arrived Scots, some of the land grants were given to people living in West Pictou [i] who arrived as children shortly after 1800.  Most of them held these grants on speculation and it would be several years before they were offered for sale to late arrivals from Scotland or second generation immigrants.

 Several Onslow men also received land[ii]. Most of them made no attempt to settle or improve their land which resulted in gaps in the settlement patterns.   By 1831-32,  when there was a significant influx of new immigrants from Sutherland and Caithness, those with money purchased some of these grants.  Those without cash ended up further afield.  Such was the case of Upper Kemptown, outside Earltown’s bounds, which was settled in the 1830’s by a mix of immigrants from Sutherland and Ross and several second-generation Highlanders from West and Middle River settlements of Pictou.  These new residents were totally immersed in Gaelic and adhered to the Established Church of Scotland.  Naturally, they journeyed to Earltown for worship and for trade.  Although not within the political boundaries of Earltown, they weighed in on civic matters.  

The church in Earltown also had oversight of the Gaelic speaking minority in the North River valley in the Onslow township.   Polson Mountain[iii] and MacKenzie Settlement were under the care of the Earltown population as were a couple of MacDonald families in Upper North River and the MacLeods at Central North River.   While the predominant Ulster Scot population of North River were Presbyterian, it was a different brand and didn’t offer Gaelic services.

Along the eastern side, the boundary with Pictou tended to be a bit fluid.  The former county line seemed to diverge from the current alignment in College Grant which resulted in two farms[iv], currently in Pictou, being in Colchester in 1838.  This was more pronounced in South Loganville where the entirety of the Gunshot Road and Craig areas were enumerated in Colchester. At that point the boundary was a mile further east than the present day.  Most of the early settlers on the Gunshot and Craig described themselves in early documents as being residents of Earltown and many of them are buried in the Earltown cemeteries.   Even as late as 1960, some Pictou County families along the boundary attended school in North Colchester for accessibility reasons.

West Branch River John has its own identity but they share many things in common.  In the 1800’s the two communities shared a Pastoral Charge of both the Established Church and the Free Church. The families mostly share a common heritage in Sutherland and the adjacent parishes in Ross.  Although both had their own stores, trade was robust between the two communities.  Consequently there are many family ties between the two areas.

An area of significant Earltown expansion is Balfron to the north of The Falls.  After DesBarres died in 1824, it was several years before the estate made the area available for sale.  Most of the lots were gobbled up by the Campbells in Tatamagouche and Pictou merchants for the harvest and export of timber.  By the 1840’s the logged over land was made available for sale.  The result was a mix of second generation Tatamagouche people, (mostly tied to the Hayman family),  a significant number of second generation Earltowners and a few Highlanders from the West River settlements of Pictou.   Gaelic was predominant among the Earltown and West River settlers.   Even the Haymans, although half Franco-Swiss, retained some of their Argyle linguistics.  

Part of the Nuttby community was inside the Earltown boundary.  Those families were mostly Ulster Scots and Baptist in religion[v].  While there may have been some limited trade with Earltown, they mostly associated with North River and Truro.  The two communities had some attitude towards each other, with one or the other perceiving themselves to be superior.

Lastly we come to the western boundary which warrants its own post in the very near future.

The attached map shows the approximate boundaries of the political district of the late 1800’s encompassing 154 square km.  The 18 square kilometers annexed to New Annan is to the left of the main block.  The influence extended outward to 300 square kilometers.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1QWqpEPmziFEeUuQYIZCc4stRNCk9330&usp=sharing

[i] These grants were primarily in Clydesdale and the Berichon.  The MacIntoshes of Roger’s Hill figure prominently.

[ii] These grants were mostly along the river through Central Earltown to West Earltown and were mostly names associated with North River.

[iii] The Polson family were clearance era settlers in Upper South River, Antigonish County. Peter Polson married Marion MacLean of Riversdale and settled on Polson Mountain facing towards Truro. The farm is still visible driving up the North River valley.  They are buried in Earltown.

[iv] The Baillie farm and George Graham farms, both in Pictou County today, are on the 1838 census of Earltown.  Those farms were always part of the Clydesdale school district.

[v] One exception is the MacRae family.  They had roots in Golspie in Sutherland and likely many ties to families in Earltown.  However they were more inclined to associate and intermarry with the Ulster people of North River or the lowland families around Tatamagouche.

The North Colchester Railway

 

A plan for several railroad routes to connect North Colchester to Truro – 1890 (Colchester Historical Museum Collection)

After confederation in 1867, Canada’s future prosperity and sovereignty were thought to lie in a network of railways between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts with spurs and loops to include growing communities away from the main lines. The Intercolonial Railway connecting Halifax, via Truro, to Central Canada was established in the early 1870’s. It expanded upon local railways between Halifax, Windsor and Truro as well as a railway system in Pictou County linking the industrial towns.

In the mid 1870’s another project was proposed to construct a short line between Pictou and Oxford Junction which connected Scotsburn, Denmark, Tatamagouche, Wallace and Pugwash to the outside world. The project was fraught with financial difficulties but eventually went into operation in 1889.

With the main lines from New Brunswick to Halifax and Cape Breton functioning along with the Short Line from Oxford Junction to Pictou, further regional lines were being explored. It must remembered that this was long before cars and trucks were being imagined to transport people and freight from rural villages to the major towns and beyond.

The idea for a railway through the Cobequid Mountains to the Northumberland Strait was considered as early as 18601. At that point, the proponents suggested, it would afford the shortest route between Halifax and Charlottetown. It was only 129 miles from downtown Halifax to the Brule Corner wharf whereas it was 175 miles between Halifax and the port of Pictou. Brule Harbour was more easily navigated than the narrow river channels approaching Tatamagouche. In winter, the mails and freight could be sledded across the Strait in a straight line to Charlottetown. Tatamagouche had some “goose holes” that didn’t adequately freeze for heavy traffic. By the 1860’s, Brule was already being used to convey passengers and mail to Prince Edward Island with help from a stage coach service out of Truro2.

In the end, the idea was shelved in favour of a link by the Nova Scotia Railroad between Stellarton and Pictou. Pictou was, to be fair, a shire town with a mature port in place and a rail link with nearby New Glasgow would be a bonus to the domestic economy of West Pictou. One would imagine the costly pier style bridge across the upper reaches of Pictou Harbour was an engineering challenge yet so were the 15 or so miles of steep grades through the Cobequid Hills near Earltown. The Pictou link was completed around 1867 and interfaced with a substantial shipping to major ports in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

In 1890 Provincial Engineer Dr Mitchell Murphy came to North Colchester to survey potential routes from the Short Line through the Cobequid Hills to Bible Hill. area.

Brule Harbour figured prominently in all the routes explored. At that time the wharf at Brule Corner was a busy spot with resident sea captains, foundry, a cannery and was a convenient port for the shipment of timber to the United Kingdom. Brule’s nearest access point to the Short Line was at Denmark, four miles inland. Both Earltown and New Annan were well-established farming and lumbering areas at the time with far larger populations than today. It was likely felt that rail access would further enhance the prosperity and standard of living for these inland communities.3Brule Harbour figured prominently in all the routes explored. At that time the wharf at Brule Corner was a busy spot with resident sea captains, foundry, a cannery and was a convenient port for the shipment of timber to the United Kingdom. Brule’s nearest access point to the Short Line was at Denmark, four miles inland. Both Earltown and New Annan were well-established farming and lumbering areas at the time with far larger populations than today. It was likely felt that rail access would further enhance the prosperity and standard of living for these inland communities.

The most easterly option explored began at Brule Corner crossed the Denmark road and proceeded south to the east of the settlements along that road. It joined up with the Short Line at the Denmark station and then continued due south to Mountain Road and eventually MacBain’s Corner. Crossing the Scotsburn Road, it followed the Nabiscamp Brook through the valley to Rossville, cut behind the Presbyterian Church and struck off above and behind the MacIntosh farm. It emerged again to the east of the Earltown Village cemetery.

Judging from the photographs of the day, it would have followed the Berichan Road down behind the DOT garage and cut along the side hill towards the Kemptown Road. To avoid the grade of Gunn’s Hill, the route appears to go up the Kemptown Road and then follow the ravine to the south of Highway 311 to Sutherland Road. Beyond Sutherland Road it would have followed the MacGill Brook behind the farms on the Summit until it reached the North River. From there it followed the banks and descending grade of the North River and then on to join the ICR near Marshall’s Corner.

A proposed centre route shows a spur starting at Brule Harbour and heading southwest to a point near Ferguson’s Crossing on the Upper River John Road where it would have intersected with the Short Line. From there it would continue through the forest to Balfron and cross what was then the main road near the Simon Cameron Road. It would cross the Waugh River near Balfron Hall. This would likely have warranted a siding as there was an active grist mill, sawmill and tannery at nearby Urquhart’s Bridge. The route would then follow to the west of the present 311 to a point behind St. Andrew’s Kirk at The Falls and later cross the main road to follow the course of the Waugh River through the valley to West Earltown. At the end of the Ferguson Brook Road, it was to tack to due south and follow what is now an electrical line right of way through the pass to Nuttby and would have emerged behind the Baptist Church. From there it follows the same route as the first option. One would suspect that a station or platform siding would have been constructed at Ferguson Brook Road to serve Earltown Village, four miles to the east. One can also imagine a “whistle stop” at The Falls to serve the mill and stores in that community.

The third option is the same between Brule and Balfron Hall after which it turned westward towards Central New Annan. Between the New Truro Road and Central New Annan, it would have made a sweeping turn to navigate the grade and follow a dale through to the crossroads at East New Annan. From there it followed the New (or Old) Truro Road through the hills to MacCallum’s Settlement and on to Marshall’s Corner.

The scheme lay dormant for a few years until the Midway Railway, the operator of the line between WIndsor and Truro, was granted the exclusive franchise to extend their line northward through the Cobequids to the Northumberland Strait. The survey continued to be updated with an extensive review of the 1890 survey in 1901 followed by a meeting in Earltown in November at which time “… a committee was appointed to interview the directors of the M.R. (Midland Railway) of N.S., with a view to securing their aid in promoting a line to be called the North Colchester Ry., and to run between Truro and Brule. It was also decided that the committee should draft a bill for the next session of the Provincial Legislature and the Dominion Parliament next year.”4

The Provincial Government of the day was very anxious to see this happen and it would appear that they were more enthused than the residents of Earltown. Whether it was a matter of political opposition, fear of expropriation or general apathy, there is no narrative of these events either orally or in Sutherland’s “Rise and Decline of the Community of Earltown”.5

A view from Ross’s Rock on the west flank of Spiddle Hill overlooking the Waugh River valley at West Earltown. This photo is from the collection of Edmund Haskett-Smith, an surveyor from Britain who came to Tatamagouche and worked on some of these surveys. He employed a photographer by the name of Adams from Truro. In the days before satellite images and topographical maps, the photos were likely used to illustrate the lay of the land to company officials and government bureaucrats. Haskett-Smith collection courtesy of John Crawford

The February 1903 issue of The Railway and Shipping World trade magazine reports that “Surveys have been completed for a railway from Truro, N.S., where a connection would be made with the Midland Ry. to Tatamagouche across the Cobequid Mountains, about 35 miles.” The reporter goes on to explain “Some years ago surveys were made for a line from Truro to Brule over much the same country and it is understood that the first 18 miles of this old survey, (from Truro), will be followed. This would carry the line to Earltown, from which point P.S. Archibald, CE, recently made a survey via the Waugh’s River, a little to the west of the survey to Brule, and crossing the Oxford branch of the ICR about a mile above the railway bridge at Tatamagouche.”6

In June of 1903, it was announced that the Waugh River route had been chosen subject to minor modifications. The junction with the ICR Short Line would be about a mile east of Tatamagouche Station and a spur would run north to the narrows of Barrachois Harbour7.

 

It would seem Brule had lost some of its strategic importance by that point whether through a reduction in harbour traffic or it just made sense to connect up with the Tatamagouche Station. This route seems to be the chosen one but not the shortest. By looping east, much like the current 311 highway, there was more exposure to the populated areas of the Waugh River valley than across the mountain to East New Annan.

Here is a (link) to a map showing the four routes contemplated. Without precise historical maps of the routes, this is my attempt to plot the potential routes while respecting the topography of the area.

The project was likely the subject of much excitement at the time and probably generated some healthy skepticism. Like the Short Line before it, capital for such a difficult terrain was not forthcoming anytime soon. These connector lines were heavily dependent on Provincial and Federal subsidies. A few years later, the writing was on the wall that internal combustion engines would adequately serve those inland communities. The writing was also on the wall that the farms of Earltown and East New Annan were vacating at rapid pace. However it is fun to imagine what things would be like today had the project gone forward.

  1. The Railway and Shipping World April 1902 as reproduced in the Dominion Atlantic Railway Digital Preservation Initiative (DARDPI) ↩︎
  2. Fun fact: In 1864 delegates from Nova Scotia travelled to Charlottetown to attend the conference that would begin the process of creating Canada. The delegates traveled from Halifax to Brule Corner by stage coach from Truro through Earltown to Brule Corner where they boarded a vessel for Charlottetown. Per “A History of Brule and Brule Point” ↩︎
  3. Beeler, Donald A History of Brule and Brule Point, 2008 ↩︎
  4. The Railway and Shipping World November 1901 as reproduced in the DARDPI ↩︎
  5. One wonders about the politics. This was a pet project of Liberal Premier George Murray. Murray, while a descendant of the Sutherlandshire diaspora, probably didn’t have a lot of support in Earltown where there was a predominant conservative affiliation from the times of the colonial elections. We will talk about politics in a later post. ↩︎
  6. The Railway and Shipping World February 1903 as reproduced in the DARDPI ↩︎
  7. The Railway and Shipping World June 1903 as reproduced in the DARDPI ↩︎