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Location
The Tusket Islands is located South of Yarmouth, N.S. along the coast from Pinkney's Point to Wedgeport. There are many Islands involved in the Tusket Islands area which have stories behind them. There is the Allen Island, Pease Island, Spectacle Island, Ellenwood Island, Murder Island, Holmes Island, Haymaker Island, Turpentine Island, Owls Head Island, Eagle Island, Marks Island, Candlebox Island, Tarpaulin Island, Dog and Calf Islands, Big Island, Green Island and others. Tusket Islands, having the highest elevation of
100 feet and Bald Tusket has 50 feet high. Only a few houses were on the
islands.
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Economic The boats can pass through two ways; the schooner and the Ellenwood in the direction northwest and southeast. They had twice-weekly freights coming through and had mail deliveries. They had their own stores and they were an economic asset to Southwestern Nova Scotia. There were many light houses and before, and there was a lot of fishing. After the years, fishing diminished and people started to leave. If you walk on the beaches you'll find rotted wood laying around and other debris's. In 1936, they attempted to build an Acadia Tuna Club. This was to occur on Owls Head, one of the Tusket Islands. There was in the 1930's two houses, one of stone and another a little smaller. They were used for tuna fishermen from the U.S. The smaller one was the guest room. The big stone building was the main lodge and had a fireplace and dining room and kitchen. Boats would come from Little River Harbor. (It stopped after World War). Haymaker Island had a department store that sold clothing, shoes, hats, and lobster gear. This store still exists. There was also lobster canning factories on Deep Cove, Ellenwood, Calf, Murder,Dog and John's Island. These factories closed around 50 years ago because of banning small lobster fishing. |
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Pease Island has a lighthouse 42 feet high. At Candlebox Island the first lighthouse lighted in 1893 , and the fog signal was in 1896. Locals say it's a nice trip but in the winter it's not so nice. The Candlebox light station was officially closed June of 1986, after being in operation since 1893. Green Island, in 1982 there was a light house but the houses were destroyed. You'll also see on Green Island a narrow cove where the fishermen brought in their boats and tied them. There was also a house that was used for an RCMP. He used the area for demolition practice. The house doesn't exist anymore. When Trouble Struck They had problems getting out of the Island on
stormy days. They would have problems with equipment. With the horns when
it would rain, water would get into it and it wouldn't work.
Other problems would be if you needed to work on one day but you can't get out of the Island two days after. Imagine living on an Island and you can't leave, you have no power, no telephone and no connections to the outside world. During harsh weather, the tidal streams would go to 2-4 knots. This was in 1966 off Ellenwood and Schooner passage. Ellenwood went up to 2 Knots and the Schooner passage went to 4 Knots. Background History Murder Island, it's name which would intrigue someone's attention was said that there was a battle between Indians and whites or between two tribes of Indians.(Iroquois and the Micmacs) The familiar houses in Tusket Islands would have a kitchen-living room, pantry and a bedroom downstairs. The upstairs only had one room. On the Tusket Island there was a family of nine
living on their own on that Island. They lived in a house beside the light
house.(Lois Nickerson) They found themselves needing the each others company
play since there was no one else around. She would tell me personally how
close their family was and looking at families today, she was discouraged.
Her own grandchildren never got along. You'll see around Southern N.S.
that people are bonded and there is a friendly atmosphere.
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information founded by Maxine Dion