When Louisbourg and the rest of New France fell to the British during the Seven Years' War , the fortress was destroyed; the Treaty of Paris , , ceded the island and France's remaining possessions in the area to the British. Cape Breton became part of the colony of Nova Scotia in , but it remained largely undeveloped until , when it became a separate colony, as one of several separate jurisdictions created for the Loyalist refugees.
The Loyalists, who made Sydney the capital of their new colony, were soon overwhelmed by successive waves of Scottish immigrants. They occupied most of the available arable land along the seacoasts and around Bras d'Or Lake, and with a few hundred returning Acadians made up the bulk of the island's largely rural population, which subsisted mostly on farming and the inshore fishery.
In the island was reunited to the jurisdiction of NS following almost 40 years of tempestuous separate status. The emergence of a vital and expansive coal-mining industry from the s on completely transformed the island economy. The mines surrounding Sydney harbour attracted the excess population of the already overpopulated rural areas and weighted the island towards the industrial base emerging in Cape Breton County.
While the area was the most dynamic growth zone in the Atlantic region up to WWI, its boom was short-lived. When the coal mines were depleted and the steel mill became obsolete, the central Canadian capitalists who had come to dominate the industrial advance abandoned the area for greener fields, leaving the industrial sector to survive on a succession of inadequate subventions from federal and provincial governments. The result was a heritage of industrial decline, labour unrest and a massive out-migration.
Today the island is recovering somewhat. New coal seams are being exploited and the industry has rebounded somewhat from its post-WWII collapse.
Smaller industries have taken root to some extent, and the rebirth of the fishery and an expanding pulp and paper industry has combined with the oil refineries and the promise of offshore petroleum resources in pointing to a better future. Despite continuing high unemployment Cape Breton has a proud Scottish heritage that finds expression in lively performing arts and a commitment to maintaining traditional crafts.
Cape Breton Highlands National Park preserves the rugged beauty of the island's northern cape, around which curves the scenic Cabot Trail. We drove across the causeway and bridge to Port Hastings on Cape Breton Island, then on to overnight with our Iona connection. Bruce McNeil, who with his bride, Sheila, manages the 26 lake-view units at The Highland Heights Inn, is on the board of the volunteer society of residents that manages the Nova Scotia Highland Village on 43 hillside acres next to the inn.
We shared the dining room with a group of alumni from the University of California, Berkeley. They were based here while touring around Cape Breton Island.
In the twilight, while a bagpipe player strolled in front of the Inn, Prof. Jim St. Clair, who teaches at the college in Sydney, walked us around the 14 buildings in the Village open air museum that charts the cultural and architectural evolution of the Scottish people in Nova Scotia. Daily from June 15 to Sept. Orientation classes also teach basic Gaelic phrases.
Clair said. Three major exhibit areas tell the story of his life, from his Scottish heritage and education to the telephone that was the most famous of his accomplishments. He later helped develop the hydrofoil. His contributions to medical science included the forerunner of the iron lung, and a vision of the use of radium in cancer, years ahead of its actual application. A charming girl, deaf since childhood from scarlet fever, came to his private school for the deaf in Boston in They fell in love.
As his wife, Mabel Bell was an inspiration and partner throughout his life, and she helped to set up the memorials that are part of Baddeck today. These words, and all the other Cape Breton and Marine Highway experiences we shared, helped bring us closer to the bays, beaches, rocky headlands, quiet forests, villages and resorts along the Cabot Trail.
The history of the Cabot Trail is a long and interesting one. The name also celebrates the meeting of Cabot and the Mi'kmaq people, the original inhabitants of Cape Breton Island, at Aspy Bay over years ago. The Cabot Trail, completed in , joined previously isolated fishing villages along an approximate kilometre loop. Today the Cabot Trail connects eight major communities with intriguing histories, ranging from the Acadian Region to Irish and Scottish settlements.
These vibrant communities are gateways to outdoor adventures and cultural festivals. Allow several days to explore and experience this magnificant area. Seasons Along The Cabot Trail Spring The spring season is a time of awakening; the sea ice moves off shore, the hiking trails are cleared of snow.
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